{"id":158116,"date":"2025-09-06T09:18:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T13:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=158116"},"modified":"2025-09-06T09:18:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T13:18:29","slug":"chicago-sky-angel-reeses-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/06\/chicago-sky-angel-reeses-suspension\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Sky Send Message With Angel Reese\u2019s Suspension"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicago Sky\u00a0suspended <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/r\/reesean01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Angel Reese <\/a>for the first half of their upcoming game on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces following her outburst in a recent interview. The Sky announced on Friday that Reese\u2019s words were \u201cdetrimental to the team.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/04\/angel-reeses-comments-tension-locker-room\/\" target=\"_self\">Reese&#8217;s comments sparked tension<\/a> about the team\u2019s future and hinted that she might need to move in a different direction if improvements aren\u2019t made.<\/p>\n<h2>Chicago Sky Send Message With Angel Reese\u2019s Suspension<\/h2>\n<h3>Sky Says Matter Has Been Resolved Internally<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_158138\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-158138\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-158138 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) walks on the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena. \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27001023_168402036_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-158138\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sep 3, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) walks on the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This internal discipline comes on top of the one-game suspension she\u2019s already serving from the WNBA for picking up her eighth technical foul of the season and missing the team&#8217;s game Friday night against Indiana. The foul came during a physical play against the Connecticut Sun. Officials reviewed the contact and ruled it unsportsmanlike.<\/p>\n<p>That penalty alone would have been big news, but the story didn\u2019t end there. On Friday, Chicago released a statement reiterating their commitment to accountability and insisted they had dealt with the matter internally.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Statement from the Chicago Sky <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kf8qXvEkGb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kf8qXvEkGb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chicagosky\/status\/1964074125615350253?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nReese&#8217;s suspension comes at a tough time for the team. The Sky are still fighting for playoff positioning, and she has been a big part of their game plan, averaging a double-double. Her energy on the boards and ability to draw fouls have kept Chicago in games when the offense has struggled.<\/p>\n<h3>How Reese&#8217;s Comments Led To Emergency Internal Meeting<\/h3>\n<p>With Reese now sidelined for Friday and only available for half of Sunday, the Sky will need other players to step up. Veterans like <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/m\/mabrema01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marina Mabrey<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/w\/williel01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elizabeth Williams<\/a> will likely take on bigger roles. Guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/e\/evansda02w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dana Evans<\/a> may also see more minutes as the team looks for more scoring and leadership on the floor.<\/p>\n<p>Reese\u2019s comments led to an internal meeting after several players planned to confront her. The 23-year-old was the No. 7 pick in the WNBA draft last season, and she is averaging 14.7 points and a league-best 12.6 rebounds. She has at least one more season on her rookie contract.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m not settling for the same we did this year,\u201d Reese stated in an interview with the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2025\/09\/03\/chicago-sky-angel-reese-free-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chicago Tribune<\/a>. \u2018We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That&#8217;s a non-negotiable for me. I&#8217;m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m going to do this offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reese indicated that she would like to spend her career in Chicago, but admitted she might have to explore other options if the situation with the Sky did not improve. She added that, for as long as she remains with the team, she intends to stay open-minded and make the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>She also directed criticism toward <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/b\/banhara01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rachel Banham<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/v\/vanliha01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hailey Van Lith<\/a>, and veteran guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/v\/vandeco01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Courtney Vandersloot<\/a>, who had only recently returned from an ACL injury.<\/p>\n<h3>A Clear Message from the Sky<\/h3>\n<p>The decision to bench Reese for the first half against the Aces serves as more than just a punishment; it sends a clear message about accountability, discipline, and unity. By addressing the issue publicly and swiftly, the organization is making it clear that no player, regardless of their talent, is above the team.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Featured image: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicago Sky\u00a0suspended Angel Reese for the first half of their upcoming game on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces following her outburst in a recent interview. The Sky announced on Friday that Reese\u2019s words were \u201cdetrimental to the team.\u201d Reese&#8217;s comments sparked tension about the team\u2019s future and hinted that she might need to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5425,"featured_media":158137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,3,49709],"tags":[49157,2957,4983,49156,49679],"class_list":["post-158116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-news","category-wnba","tag-angel-reese","tag-chicago-sky","tag-courtney-vandersloot","tag-hailey-van-lith","tag-marina-mabrey"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5425"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158116"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158139,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158116\/revisions\/158139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}