Angel Reese didn’t hold back when she sat down with the Chicago Tribune last week, and the fallout has been loud ever since. The Sky forward pushed for the team to bring in bigger names during free agency, said head coach Tyler Marsh needs to “do better,” and pointed out that with 37-year-old Courtney Vandersloot coming off an ACL tear, Chicago should be looking for a younger playmaker.
That honesty ended up costing her. The Sky benched Reese for the first half against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, calling her comments “detrimental to the team.” Fans were split — some felt she crossed a line, while others said she was only voicing what a lot of people already thought. Reese, for her part, said the whole thing got taken out of context.
Andrew Haubner, co-host of No Cap Space WBB, came to her defense and made it clear the reaction felt different because of who she is.
“When you’re a 23-year-old Black woman in a way Angel Reese is, you are subject to a level of scrutiny that somebody like Kim Mulkey is not receiving by virtue of the color of her skin, the age that she is and the type of times that we are currently living in,” Haubner said.
He compared Reese’s fiery personality to her old LSU coach, pointing out that both speak their minds — but only one usually gets the benefit of the doubt.
Angel Reese admitted Wednesday she apologized to the team, though Marsh still stood firm on the suspension.
The Angel Reese–Kim Mulkey connection
Of course, the Reese–Mulkey bond is bigger than this moment. Together they powered LSU to its first-ever NCAA crown in 2023, taking down Caitlin Clark and Iowa in front of a record crowd. Reese filled the box score — 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block — and walked away with Most Outstanding Player.
That win put both of them in LSU history books. For Mulkey, it added to the three championships she already owned from her Baylor days. For Reese, it stamped her as one of the brightest and boldest names in women’s basketball.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
