Angel Reese’s Sky career could be over as she hasn’t played since suspension

Chicago Sky All-Star Angel Reese could have played her last game with the franchise.

The star forward, who was selected by Chicago with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has not played since her first-half suspension — for “statements detrimental to the team” — in the Sky’s 80-66 loss to the Aces on Sunday due to a lingering back injury.

Reese, who missed seven games in July for the same injury, was ruled out for Tuesday’s game against Las Vegas, and she is questionable for the Sky’s season-finale against the Liberty in New York on Thursday night.

The Sky will end the 2025 season outside of the playoffs for the second straight season, just four years removed from the franchise’s first WNBA championship.

Reese, who was the WNBA’s single-season leader in rebounds her rookie year, was suspended by the Sky for statements she made in a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune, expressing her frustration with the franchise. The half-game suspension came after she publicly apologized to her teammates.

“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year,” Reese told the Tribune. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me.”

She added: “We can’t settle for what we have this year.”

Reese opened up on the Sky’s locker room to the public, and the organization sided with the team — made up of franchise legend Courtney Vandersloot and veterans, including Elizabeth Williams, Michaela Onyenwere, Rebecca Allen, Kia Nurse and Rachel Banham.

It’s unclear what the future holds for the Sky and Reese, who’s supposed to be the franchise cornerstone.

Reese could possibly request a trade out of Chicago, as some believe she’s sitting out in protest amid the strained relationship.

The Reebok athlete has two years left on her rookie contract before becoming a restricted free agent.

During his post-game press conference, Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh was asked “what changed” after he seemed optimistic about Reese’s chances of playing Tuesday.

“Yeah, that was the thought similar to last game and you know, upon warmups, after warmups, she communicated that she just wasn’t feeling it physically,” Marsh said. “So she reported that pain and so again we weren’t going to hold her back.”

Some players around the WNBA have weighed in on Reese’s comments.

Fever guard Sophie Cunningham emphasized the importance of protecting the locker room.

“It’s not great. There’s just some things that you can’t say,” Cunningham said on her “Show Me Something” podcast. “I’m a very team first type of person. I always put the team before my feelings and I think that should be a standard. You got to protect your locker room.”