Chicago Sky players are furious over statements made by teammate Angel Reese in a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune.
In an unprecedented move, Reese threw her teammates under the bus. She said she is considering moving on after the Sky was eliminated from the WNBA playoffs for the second year in a row.
With a record of 10-30, the Chicago Sky are currently near the bottom of the WNBA standings. Only the Connecticut Sun (10-31) and the Dallas Wings (9-32) have worse records this season.
Multiple league sources told Front Office Sports that the entire team has seen Reese’s comments.
A team meeting will be held in which the players plan to directly address Reese over her comments.
One league source said Reese’s future with the team is uncertain.
Reese told the Chicago Tribune she wants the Chicago Sky to build around her. “I’m not settling for the same s– 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.”
She continued: “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 the Sky’s point guards aren’t good enough to get the job done.
She praised the Sky’s injured point guard Courtney Vandersloot, but she said Vandersloot is too old at age 36 to help the team.
Vandersloot, who won a WNBA championship with the NY Liberty last year, is expected to return from an ACL tear injury soon.
“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.”
On Wednesday, Reese apologized for her statements. She said her frustration was more about herself than the team.
“I didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates… I already apologized to them,” she said. “What I say can be taken any type of way, and I want to grow from this.”
Reese received her 8th technical foul of the season during the Sky’s dominant 88-64 win over the Sun on Wednesday.
She is suspended for one game and will miss the Sky’s matchup against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever on Friday, Sept. 5. Clark is still out with a groin injury.
