Former Maryland Star Angel Reese Blasts Sky Teammates as Playoff Hopes End

Reese said she won’t “settle for the same s*** we did this year,” put veteran point guard Rachel Banham and rookie Hailey Van Lith’s leadership under a microscope, and openly questioned whether 37-year-old WNBA champion guard Courtney Vandersloot can return to elite form after an ACL tear.

She doubled down on the front office too: “We need to recruit strong players. That’s non-negotiable for me.”

This wasn’t vague frustration—it was a franchise cornerstone setting conditions. Reese essentially told the Sky: upgrade the roster, improve the facilities, demand more from the coach, or risk losing me in the process.

Why It Stung

Chicago’s situation makes Reese’s frustration understandable, even if her delivery cut deep.

The Sky are 13-27, out of the playoff race, and sit near the bottom of the league in both points scored (77.4 per game) and points allowed (82.5).

Vandersloot’s season-ending injury in June robbed the team of its steadying hand, while Hailey Van Lith has struggled in limited minutes.

Meanwhile, Reese has been the bright spot—averaging 14.6 points, leading the WNBA with 12.6 rebounds per game, and posting 23 double-doubles.

She’s delivered like a franchise player; she expects the franchise to do the same.

The Walk-Back After a Statement Win

Then came Sunday night in Chicago. Reese powered the Sky to an 88-64 blowout victory over the Connecticut Sun, leading all scorers with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

After the game, her message sounded noticeably different.

She apologized to her teammates, admitted she had to “be better with [her] language,” and insisted she was “trying to stay open-minded” about maximizing what she has in Chicago.

She framed her frustration as accountability, not betrayal—a necessary pivot to ease tensions inside the locker room after her pointed remarks days earlier.

But in professional sports, the original quotes tend to stick harder than the clarifications.

For veterans fighting through rehab and young players grinding in rotation minutes, hearing their names called out in the media is a scar, not just a headline.

Bottom Line

This is the crossroads. Angel Reese is a 20-10 engine who has every right to demand more from an organization stuck in neutral.

But by blasting teammates and coaches through the press, she’s forced a fragile locker room to confront her words head-on.

Chicago’s front office can’t ignore it: they must decide whether to build boldly around her or risk watching their most marketable star force her way out.

For now, the Sky’s season is already over on the court. Off it, the drama has only just begun.