SPORTS UPDATE
Chicago Sky star Angel Reesehas been ruled out of the team’s regular season finale against the New York Liberty on Thursday due to a back injury. Reese, who has made headlines for the wrong reasons recently, missed 10 games due to a back problem earlier this season. The issue flared up again on Sunday, and she did not play in the second half of the team’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces after being suspended for the first half because of “statements detrimental to the team.”
Reese also sat out of the Sky’s loss to the Aces on Tuesday due to the back issue.
“It’s been a disappointing season from an injury standpoint for sure across the board with our team,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said Thursday. “I don’t think that that’s anything different with Angel. She wants to be out there, she’s a competitor, she wants to fight, she wants to compete. Any time you’re not able to do that at full strength, individually or as a team, it’s disappointing, it’s frustrating.”
Sky coach explains why Angel Reese did not play in second half after first-half suspension vs. Aces
Jack Maloney
This has been an extremely underwhelming summer for the 10-33 Sky, and Reese made her frustration clear in a lengthy interview with the Chicago Tribune last week. Reese took aim at the front office, coaching staff and roster construction, and called for major moves in free agency. She also hinted at leaving the Sky when her contract is up.
“I’m not settling for the same shit we did this year,” Reese said. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me.”
“I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”
In addition, Reese made comments about specific teammates, most notably veteran point guard and franchise icon Courtney Vanderslootwho has been sidelined since June 7 with a torn ACL.
“We can’t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she’s at,” Reese said. “I know she’ll be a great asset for us, but we can’t rely on that. We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who’s been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before.”
Angel Reese calls out Sky’s front office, demands big moves in free agency: ‘We have to get great players’
Jack Maloney
Reese laterapologized to her teammatesand said that her comments were “taken out of context.” Still, the organization suspended her for the first half of Sunday’s game against the Aces. She had already been suspended for the team’s game against the Indiana Fever last Friday after accumulating too many technical fouls.
Reese’s sophomore season has now come to an end. She appeared in 30 games, made her second All-Star appearance in as many seasons and averaged 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals. In addition, Reese led the league in rebounding for the second season in a row.
