The Chicago Sky have suspended second-year star Angel Reese for the first half of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces for comments made in an interview with the Chicago Tribune this week.
Reese offered criticism of the Sky front office and roster during a routine interview after practice Tuesday with a Sky communications staffer present. The Sky on Friday announced the suspension for “statements detrimental to the team.”
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In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday, Reese expressed her desire for the front office to acquire “great players” in the offseason and for coach Tyler Marsh to coach players harder; questioned whether the team relied on injured veteran Courtney Vandersloot to return as the starting point guard; and voiced skepticism about whether top free agents would be willing to take a “leap of faith” to sign with the Sky in 2026 and beyond.
The 2024 No. 7 pick in the WNBA draft also said she “might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me” if the Sky could not assemble a more competitive roster before the end of her rookie contract in 2027.
Players, coaches and executives within the Sky organization were deeply upset by Reese’s comments, per a team source. The forward apologized to teammates before Wednesday’s game against the Connecticut Sun.
The team announced the suspension in a statement less than two hours before tipoff of Friday’s road game against the Indiana Fever, for which Reese already was suspended because of an accumulation of technical fouls.
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“This matter has been handled and resolved internally, and we are moving forward as a team,” the Sky statement read.
The Sky are eliminated from the playoffs with three games remaining in the regular season. Reese averages a team-leading 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds in her second season.
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