The Chicago Sky handed star forward Angel Reese a half-game suspension for a recent interview in which she revealed her frustration with the state of the franchise. The Sky called her comments “detrimental to the team.”
Reese will miss the first half of Sunday night’s road game against the Las Vegas Aces as a result. She is serving the suspension Sunday instead of Friday because she was already suspended for Friday night’s game against the Indiana Fever due to her technical foul accumulation.
Advertisement
“The Chicago Sky values the safety, respect and well-being of every player,” the team said in a statement. “We are committed to accountability so our players can stay focused on playing basketball.”
In an interview the Chicago Tribune published Wednesday morning, Reese said she is “not settling for the same s— we did this year.”
Reese said in the interview that she has been, and will continue to be, vocal about what she thinks the franchise needs to improve on and what she wants to see changed. She has played in 30 of Chicago’s 40 games this season and told the Tribune she wants the Sky to form a clear identity next season.
Advertisement
Reese also said she would like to see the franchise add guards who can drive and shoot 3-pointers efficiently and that she sees point guard as an area of need.
“I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me,” Reese said. “But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”
When asked about her remarks after the Sky’s 88-64 win over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday night, Reese denied being frustrated with the team, stating she’s more frustrated with herself for the comments.
“I think the language is taken out of context, and I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates. I want to apologize to my teammates, which I already have, about the article,” she said.
Advertisement
In addition to her roster comments, Reese told the Tribune she hopes first-year coach Tyler Marsh pushes players harder. She also wants expanded office spaces and improved training facilities. The Sky are building a dedicated WNBA performance center, with a 40,000-square-foot, $38 million facility set to be completed by 2026.
The Sky’s current infrastructure and recent broad turnover — they are on their third permanent head coach in three seasons — has appeared to hurt their appeal.
Marsh addressed Reese’s comments in a session with reporters Wednesday, saying that while he had not read the entire article, “we are aware of it; we’re addressing it in-house currently.”
(Photo: Stephen Brashear / Imagn Images)
Advertisement
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Chicago Sky, WNBA
2025 The Athletic Media Company
