Angel Reese’s ‘bittersweet’ season ends with benching as future with Sky clouds
Chicago coach praises player development even as comments, suspension and injury leave Reese’s tenure in doubt
Angel Reese sat on the bench for the Chicago Sky in the regular-season finale Thursday, a subdued end to a tumultuous sophomore campaign that has raised questions about whether the forward will remain with the franchise.
Reese’s status in Chicago became precarious after comments she made to the Chicago Tribune expressing frustration with the direction of the team. She told the paper, in part, “I’m not settling for the same s–t we did this year,” and added, “We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me.” Those remarks, and reports that Reese name-dropped teammates in the locker room, prompted a team meeting and led to a half-game suspension after she publicly apologized to her teammates.
Reese has not played since the disciplinary action, citing a back injury that limited her to 30 games this season. On the court, she produced career-high scoring numbers and elite rebounding; Reese averaged a career-best 14.7 points and led the WNBA in rebounds for the second consecutive season at 12.6 per game. She was also named an All-Star for the second time.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh described the 2025 campaign as “bittersweet,” noting both the on-court growth and the off-court disruptions. “There’s been a ton of growth areas, from my perspective, on Angel, especially on the court,” Marsh said, citing improvements in playmaking and defensive versatility. “We’ve been able to see her playmaking ability in so many different aspects this year. Her versatility defensively is another area we’ve assigned her to a bunch of different matchups throughout this year and she’s taken that head on as well. So on both sides of the ball, there’s been a ton of growth from there and she’s just not even scratching the surface on who she can be in this league for a long time to come.”
Asked before the game whether he saw Reese’s future in Chicago, Marsh replied simply, “Sure.” The one-word response offered limited clarity about long-term plans for the player who was selected seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA draft and long viewed as a franchise cornerstone.
Reese still has two years left on her rookie contract before she would reach restricted free-agent status. The Sky have not announced any roster moves related to Reese, and team officials declined to comment beyond Marsh’s remarks.
The sequence of events this season began with Reese’s strong early play and statistical achievements, followed by intermittent absences tied to injury. The public controversy punctuated an otherwise productive year on the stat sheet, underscoring tensions between individual expectations and team dynamics.
Chicago’s regular season concluded without confirmation of whether Reese will return to the lineup when healthy or if the organization will pursue other roster avenues in the offseason. Marsh emphasized the potential still present in Reese’s game while acknowledging areas for continued development.
As the WNBA offseason approaches, the Sky will confront decisions involving contract status, team construction and how best to reconcile the on-court production Reese provided with the distraction of her remarks and subsequent discipline. Neither the team nor Reese has provided a timeline for a return to play or further comment on her long-term role with Chicago.