On Tuesday, Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky had another nail-biter defeat against the Washington Mystics, the second of its kind this week. A last-minute foul sent the Mystics to the line with two seconds left, sealing the game 81–79.
That’s now two tight losses in a row for Chicago, but Reese isn’t rattled. She made it clear after the game that the mission continues.
“We have an opportunity in 24 hours to play this game again,” Reese said. “It sucks right now especially when we feel we’re right there. We have to continue to push through. We have to get back up tomorrow. I’m excited to go back home and be able to play again tomorrow.”
In fact, Angel Reese had been spectacular in her previous games, silencing many haters. The “Bayou Barbie” had faced constant criticisms brought by her high rebound averages (12.8 this season) despite poor shooting efficiency (40.8%). The term “mebounds” came from this issue. Ever since, Reese has made considerable moves to counter the trolls, such as merchandising the said term while improving her scoring.
The former LSU standout scored double-digit points in the past five games, not falling below 15. Her rebounds, as usual, were also high. However, her efficiency had also improved, with her lowest being just 43.8% in the matches against Minnesota and Golden State.
However, Chicago’s record remains disappointing. Holding a 5–13 record, the team currently sits near the bottom of the standings, ranked second to last. Most of their wins have come against other struggling squads. While there are signs of growth—such as their close battle against the Lynx last Sunday, which ended 80–75—they still have a lot to improve on.
Former NBA player defends Angel Reese amid continued criticisms
Although Angel Reese has shown clear improvement in rebounding this season, she continues to face criticism. Former NBA player Etan Thomas has called those critiques unfair. On his Instagram post on Tuesday, Thomas weighed in on the bias around Reese’s high rebounds, whereas legends like Dennis Rodman put up the exact numbers.
“Rebounding has always been regarded as a special skill set. Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace, Moses Malone, etc, etc. So why is it now looked down upon when Angel Reese is setting rebounding records,” Thomas said from his book “The Collision: Where Sports And Politics Collide.”
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Moreover, Angel Reese has broken many rebounding achievements this season, for example, having the most rebounds in her first career games. Hopefully, she and the Sky will finally get a win against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
