Two-time All-Star Chicago Sky power forward Angel Reese is set to skip her media exit interviews this season, adding more fuel to the fire of a possible split with the only WNBA franchise she’s ever known in her young career.
Per Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic, the Sky have alerted reporters that Reese, former five-time All-Star point guard and Chicago champ (and likely future Hall of Famer) Courtney Vandersloot, and shooting guard Ariel Atkins have all scuttled their previously announced media exit interviews this year.
Per Taylor, a lot of other key Chicago personnel, including head coach Tyler Marsh and general manager Jeff Pagliocca, spoke with reporters on Sept. 11 and 12. Reese and Atkins had been expected to chat at some point in the future.
It’s no secret that Reese is frustrated with being stuck on a non-competitive roster.
Chicago made a splash during the 2024 WNBA Draft, selecting then-reigning NCAA champion Kamilla Cardoso and 2023 champ Reese with the Nos. 3 and 7 picks. Reese struggled with health issues to end the year and Chicago fell out of the playoff hunt late.
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The Sky shockingly traded the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft to the Washington Mystics for Atkins, a second-round pick in 2027 and 2027 first-round swap.
The Mystics selected Sonia Citron out of Notre Dame, who emerged as an instant All-Star. The Sky also traded to acquire the draft rights to the No. 11 pick this season, which they used on Reese’s former LSU teammate Hailey Van Lith. The catch: Chicago gave the Minnesota Lynx pick-swap rights in next year’s draft.
Now, the Lynx — who are currently in the playoff semifinals and have a good shot at winning it all this year — are poised to select a lottery pick in 2026.
That means Minnesota could theoretically add an elite prospect like Olivia Miles, Flau’jae Johnson, Lauren Betts or Azzi Fudd around a championship-caliber core of MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier, All-Star guards Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams, Defensive Player of the Year forward Alanna Smith, and Sixth Player of the Year runner-up guard Natisha Hiedeman.
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Chicago, meanwhile, gets nothing out of another lottery-bound season, having finished with a paltry 10-34 record.
Reese, though, had a second straight exciting individual season. Although she’s a bit limited offensively, she’s the league’s best rebounder and a solid interior defender.
The 6-foot-3 pro averaged 14.7 points on 45.8 percent shooting from the floor and 75.6 percent shooting from the free throw line, 12.6 rebounds (the most in the WNBA for the second straight season), 3.7 dimes, 1.5 steals and 0.7 rejections a night.
Reese’s Acrimonious Suspension
Late into the regular season, Reese called out Chicago’s frustrating infrastructure — prompting an immediate (and, practically, meaningless) half-game suspension from the Sky.
“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year. We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s non-negotiable to me,” Reese told Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune two weeks ago. “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.”
Will tensions bubble over to the point where Reese demands a trade out of the Windy City? Or can Chicago alternately prove to its budding superstar that it is motivated to win now?
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