Angel Reese tipped her hand on what her goal was before the 2025 season. Reese planned to be a leader on rebounds because “rebounds win championships.” She also wants to make the WNBA All-Defensive Team.
The Chicago Sky hope Reese expands her skill set in head coach Tyler Marsh’s system. Marsh and point guard Courtney Vandersloot voiced their belief in the preseason that Reese can be more than a rebounder in the WNBA.
However, rebounding was what Reese excelled at in the first half of the Sky’s season opener against the Indiana Fever. Reese finished the first half with nine rebounds and seven points.
Per Polymarket Hoops, Reese made WNBA history in the first half, becoming the fastest player ever to record 450 points and 450 rebounds.
Angel Reese is the fastest player in WNBA history to record 450+ PTS & 450+ REB. pic.twitter.com/JyEksIgJ5X
— Polymarket Hoops (@StatMamba) May 17, 2025
Reese recorded 446 rebounds as a rookie, which broke a league record for the most rebounds in a single season. She averaged 13.1 rebounds per game. Reese was well on her way to smashing her average from 2024.
Despite Reese believing that her rebounding can win championships, the Sky were trailing the Fever 45-32 at halftime. The Sky struggled shooting, averaging just 28.9% shooting and making just 25% of their three-point shots.
Reese went 3-of-8 shooting in the first half, including 1-of-2 from behind the three-point arc. She was a -10 on the court with one assist and two turnovers.
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Last week, the playoffs for the FedEx Cup officially began. The top seventy players of the season have been selected, and they are now off to the races. The first of four events was the St Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. Although it was supposed to have seventy players, there was a notable absence. Rory McIlroy, despite occupying the no. 2 spot in the FedEx rankings, was nowhere to be seen. The decision has led to confusion and criticism. The main question was why he had done it, and now McIlroy has answered that question. Recap On McIlroy And St Jude Fallout Rory McIlroy’s decision has brought him some criticism. Some were calling it disrespectful to the sport and players. People like Johnson Wagner were calling for rule changes to keep such an absence from happening again. He proposed mandatory attendance with wiggle room for emergencies, given that the FedEx Cup has an elimination aspect to it. McIlroy was able to skip the event without any kind of repercussion. Going into the playoffs, he was second in the FedEx Cup rankings, just behind Scottie Scheffler. He was so far ahead of most other players that some people did the math and concluded that he could skip St Jude and the BMW Championship and still be in the race. After the St Jude Championship, McIlroy’s FedEx Cup standing did not change. He remained in second but he will be attending the BMW Championship. McIlroy’s Explanation Ahead of the BMW Championship, Rory McIlroy attended a press conference to answer some questions before the tournament. One of the questions was on his absence from the St Jude Championship, and McIlroy answered that he just needed an extra week off ahead of a very busy schedule. “I just think that extra week off will do me good with the events coming up. Some big events that are important to me—the Irish Open, Wentworth (BMW PGA Championship), obviously the Ryder Cup. I want to try to win my seventh Race to Dubai over in Europe as well. There’s some things that are still important to me that I want to go play in. That was a big part of the reason why I wanted to take that extra week off last week.” During this same conference, McIlroy addressed the need for a rule change after his absence. Mostly questioning if it was even necessary, but ultimately saying that he would support it if need be. McIlroy also pointed out that any rules change would need to keep a lot of people happy, including the media rights partner and the sponsors. Those two like to see big names on the field. Up Next: The BMW Championship Rory McIlroy may have skipped the St Jude Championship, but he’s not skipping the BMW Championship. Nor is he skipping the Ryder Cup, Irish Open, Wentworth, or the Race to Dubai. It was a calculated move, as suspected, but it is for much-needed rest right before McIlroy goes into several big tournaments. McIlroy has nine very busy weeks ahead of him, and he needs to save his strength before each one. For now, though, he is focusing on retaining his position during the BMW Championship this week.
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
After working to return to the Chicago Cubs' lineup following an oblique injury, Miguel Amaya suffered a gruesome-looking injury in his first game back with the Cubs on Wednesday night. Running to first base, Amaya just beat out an infield single on a slow dribbler to shortstop when his left foot landed forcefully on the base, causing his leg to buckle and sending Amaya flying down the first base line. Following the injury, Amaya was carted off the field in Toronto with a towel over his face. The emotions shown by Amaya as he was carted off indicated he knew already he would miss more time in a season that has been marred by injuries. After the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed Amaya would be going back on the injured list with what was diagnosed as a left ankle sprain. X-rays, however, were negative. The 26-year-old Amaya had just told reporters after being activated from the 60-day injured list that he was thankful he was healthy. Just three at-bats later, Amaya was once again injured. Amaya's three at-bats against the Blue Jays on Wednesday represented his first game action since May 24, when he recorded just two at-bats against the Cincinnati Reds before leaving the game with an oblique injury. In just 96 at-bats this season, Amaya is slashing .281/.314/.500 with four home runs and 25 RBI. Amaya's injury is another blow for the Cubs, who have seen their lead in the National League Central evaporate as the Milwaukee Brewers have now won 12 consecutive games and are 20-4 since the All-Star break. As has been the case in Amaya's absence, Carson Kelly and Reese McGuire will continue to be the dominant presences behind the plate for the Cubs. Joining with Amaya, the duo has helped the Cubs record a 2.8 Wins Above Average (WAA) at catcher, the highest mark of any MLB team. After Amaya's injury, the Cubs would go on to post a 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Why was Naomi held out of action on this week’s WWE Raw? It was another action-packed show for the red brand, but one previously advertised match that didn’t take place was the Women’s World Championship showdown. Naomi was set to defend the title against former champion IYO SKY, but WWE announced on social media that Naomi had not been cleared to compete. Instead, Sky lost to Roxanne Perez in singles action, which eventually led to a frustrating backstage exchange between Sky and former Damage CTRL partners Asuka and Kairi Sane after they tried to interfere to help her. But the question is, what was the reason for the switch? According to Fightful Select, details regarding Naomi being out of action were kept “very quiet” backstage on Raw, and that talent “didn’t even know what happened” with her for WWE to pull the match. However, the report states that Naomi was still backstage at the show, despite not appearing on screen. WWE sources were also reportedly happy with the replacement match between SKY and Perez. When Will Naomi Return? Naomi is currently scheduled to defend the Women’s World Championship against Stephanie Vaquer on August 31 at Clash in Paris. Vaquer won the opportunity by scoring the win in the 20-Woman Evolution Battle Royal last month. That show also featured Naomi’s surprise cash-in during the SKY vs. Rhea Ripley match to win the title. Will the Vaquer vs. Naomi match still happen? Vaquer did interact with SKY on Raw, where she stated that SKY wasn’t the only person who was promised a title match. It was a vague line, but it did tease the possibility that Vaquer may not be getting her match in the near future. Naomi last wrestled at SummerSlam Sunday on August 3, where she defeated SKY and Ripley in a Triple Threat Match to retain the title. WWE has yet to announce an official update on her status. Also advertised for Clash in Paris is John Cena vs. Logan Paul, and Seth Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk, LA Knight and Jey Uso in a Fatal 4-Way Match. The Latest in WWE, AEW, More Karrion Kross Reveals Why WWE Contract Negotiations Fell Apart Sylvester Stallone Comments On The Death Of Hulk Hogan WWE Referee Charles Robinson Hospitalized After Being Bitten By Bat Vince McMahon Addresses Hulk Hogan's Character, Decision To Bring Him Back To WWE