Report: Angel Reese, Sky teammates skip exit interviews with team

Drama between Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky is only continuing to heat up heading into the WNBA offseason. According to Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, the Sky announced that Reese, Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot would not be available for exit interviews on Monday.

The news comes after the Sky suspended Reese for the first half of a Sept. 7 game against the Las Vegas Aces for comments she made about her teammates in a story published in the Chicago Tribune. The newspaper reported that Reese said she did not think Hailey Van Lith or Rachel Banham were capable of leading the charge for a playoff team. She also called out Vandersloot in a quote, citing her age as a factor.

“We can’t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she’s at,” Reese told the Tribune. “I know she’ll be a great asset for us, but we can’t rely on that. We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who’s been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before.”

Eventually, Angel Reese was ruled out entirely for that Sept. 7 contest due to a back injury. She also sat out the next two games to close the season, leading to speculation about her future with the franchise.

The Sky finished tied with the Dallas Wings for the worst record in the WNBA at 10-34. Despite this, they will not have the opportunity to rebuild through the draft after trading their first-round pick. They also traded away swap rights for their 2027 first-round pick to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Atkins last offseason.

Chicago is expected to have significant cap space this offseason with many of its contracts expiring. Only Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld are under contract for the 2026 season. That means free agency could be one avenue for the team to rebuild, and Reese made it clear she wants better players around her.

“I’m not settling for the same s−−− we did this year,” Reese said. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me.

“I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”

Reese later apologized to her teammates for the comments, saying they were “taken out of context” and “misconstrued.” However, this latest wrinkle will only ramp up rumors of a potential trade, and it will be interesting to see how the Sky approach this offseason.