WNBA star Angel Reese has been sidelined by a back injury since late July and the Chicago Sky have been careful about contact work and monitoring how she responds to practice over that span.
On Monday, however, Reese appeared in a Sky practice clip for the first time in weeks, providing optimism to fans that she's moving in the right direction and could be cleared for a return to action soon.
Medical staff still need to clear her for contact and teams typically take a graded approach when it comes to back injuries because they can flare up, but this new sighting is encouraging nonetheless.
The Sky's next game comes on Tuesday at home against the Seattle Storm (17-18).
Angel Reese continues to ramp up in her potential return to the court. Today has been another spirited practice for Chicago. #Skytown pic.twitter.com/J4leDmTQR7
— Chicago State of Mind Sports (@ChiStateOfMind_) August 18, 2025
Reese was drafted seventh overall by the Sky in 2024 after leading LSU to a 2023 national championship, earning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and becoming a unanimous first team All-American.
Since arriving in Chicago, she's become a two-time WNBA All-Star (2024, 2025), set rookie rebounding records and led the league in rebounding during her first season, quickly establishing herself as one of the league's most dominant interior threats.
This year, she's averaged 14.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.7 minutes per game across 23 contests. Despite not having played a game since July 29, she still leads the league in rebounding and by a wide margin (A'ja Wilson ranks second with 9.9 rebounds per game).
As of Monday, the Sky sit near the bottom of the league at 8–25, a collapse that accelerated after the All-Star break.
Since July 14, Chicago has won just a single game against the Washington Mystics on August 5, going 1-12 over that stretch, including the last seven games without Reese (1-6 record over that span).
The new practice clip is optimistic but not definitive: the team and medical staff are still measuring response and will likely keep the public updated incrementally.
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