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Angel Reese Fights Back Tears After Chicago Sky’s Loss to New York Liberty

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 11:53 PM ET

The Chicago Sky dropped to 2-6 on the season after an 85-66 loss to the New York Liberty, who continued their undefeated defense of their 2024 WNBA championship at 9-0.

Angel Reese had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the game, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to record 30 double-doubles.

She came into Tuesday night's game averaging 9.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, experiencing a drop off from her rookie numbers (13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds) under the Sky's first-year coach, Tyler Marsh.

Amid the on-court struggles for Reese and her team, interviews continued to be full of questions about everything else, heaping scrutiny on the 23-year-old that hit a breaking point after the loss to the Liberty.

"I don't worry about what's going on online," Reese said in the postgame press conference when a reporter suggested her performance might make a statement to her critics. "People online are behind a keyboard for a reason."

Reese's teammate at the podium, Ariel Atkins, heard enough of the personal questions and stood up for the second-year forward.

"I'm sorry, can I say something?" Atkins interrupted. "This is a 23-year-old kid. The amount of crap that she gets on a day-to-day and she still shows up."

"Whatever questions y'all got about our team, basketball wise, we appreciate it," Atkins said. "But all that other nonsense, it's irrelevant... We having a hard time at the end of the day. This is a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace. Her crown is heavy."

Love my Vet man https://t.co/afXWGPFjXf
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) June 11, 2025

Atkins' strong defense made Reese emotional, as she tried to continue the interview.

"I know my teammates trust me and I know they have my back," Reese said while fighting back tears. "Ariel has my back through everything. I love that being a part of a team that I know trusts me and trusts my work."

"Everything else is everything else," she continued. "I'm just here to go to work every day and go home. That's all I want to do, be able to go to work and enjoy my job, that I love."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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