Angel Reese, once expected to anchor the Chicago Sky’s playoff ambitions, is now sidelined by a recurring back injury, facing locker room fractures, and there is also confronting intensifying speculation about her long-term future with the team.
The 23-year-old’s season has shifted from promise to turmoil after she has endured a campaign marked by inconsistency, controversy, and physical setbacks, keeping her in the headlines for more unsavory reasons beyond her talent.
What began as a chance to elevate Chicago to the WNBA Playoffs has descended into questions about her health, her relationship with teammates, and her standing within the organization.
Following the Sky’s 80-66 defeat to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, September 7, the team’s head coach addressed Reese’s absence but provided little clarity as to why her star forward wasn’t in action.
“Yeah, she reported to us, during pregame, and so in conjunction with Angel and the medical staff, we wanted to be as cautious as possible. So that was the decision,” Tyler Marsh said.
It could be an apparent link to her ongoing back issues, which first surfaced after a July 29 loss to the Washington Mystics. She sat out nearly three weeks, missing seven contests while the Sky dropped six of those games.
Though she returned briefly in August, logging 26 minutes against Seattle, her limitations were obvious. As she continued to manage a lingering issue before dipping out of the line-up again.
“Yeah, I think we’ve got to gauge it day by day,” Marsh added. “Obviously, with two games remaining, I know Angel wants to be out there.
“And so we’ll continue to work with her and our medical team and see what the best method of approach is moving forward.”
Has Angel Reese caused a locker room fallout at the Chicago Sky?
Such non-committal responses have only intensified speculation, feeding into the broader storm surrounding Reese – one related to rumors of a locker room split at the Wintrust Arena.
The injury alone might not have dominated headlines, but Angel’s comments after a string of losses sharpened the spotlight as she publicly questioned the roster’s strength and even doubt on the abilities of her colleagues.
She focused on Courtney Vandersloot’s return from injury before going on to criticize Rachel Banham and Hailey Van Lith’s ability to form a playoff-caliber core for the Sky.
Those remarks prompted an internal team meeting and disciplinary action. Chicago suspended Reese for the first half of its matchup against the Aces, describing her words as “detrimental” to team chemistry.
While she later apologized and insisted her comments were taken out of context, reports indicated teammates were unsettled, describing the episode as “direct attacks”, with the damage apparently done.
The forward even deflected when asked who communicated her suspension, pointing instead toward a staffer who declined further comment. The silence only deepened perceptions of strain between player and franchise.
Amid this backdrop, trade rumors have flourished as fans and commentators have floated hypothetical scenarios, including one that linked Reese to the WNBA’s expansion team in Portland.
Could her time with the Chicago Sky be coming to an end? For now, such proposals remain speculative but after two seasons of un-competitiveness and a challenging 2025 campaign, the writing could be on the wall.
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