“The court was where my height finally made sense!” Today, Angel Reese walks with that confident, unapologetic energy, but, you know, she wasn’t always like this. Once, she was an insecure, timid kid. And the biggest challenge was her height. She towered over classmates, struggled to find clothes that fit, and felt painfully hypervisible. But then basketball happened. The game, the court, showed her that her height wasn’t a burden. It was her power. No wonder the sport means so much to her, even during tough times. She echoed the same sentiment again. 

The Sky haven’t had a ton of reasons to celebrate this season with a 9-27 record, sitting 12th in the WNBA standings. However, they did manage to shock everyone by taking down the defending champs, New York Liberty, 91-85. And they carried that same scrappy “fight” energy (even though it didn’t show most of the time) into their next game against the Sun.

You might think that once one is out of playoff contention, motivation would be hard to find. But when a reporter asked Angel Reese about the team’s drive to keep winning games “down the stretch” even though “playoffs aren’t in the future,” she had the perfect answer. “I mean, we got another opportunity to play the game that we love, play this professional level and play against the best talent every single night. Not everybody gets this opportunity. So we don’t take it for granted.”

She went on to explain in the post-game con that while players have their individual reasons for playing, collectively, the Sky’s number one motivator is their “love [for] basketball.” Rightfully said. The WNBA prides itself on being the toughest league to make. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert even calls it the “most elite women’s sports league in the world.” So being part of it, and more than that, just doing what’s always been your passion, well, that’s gotta fuel these players to give everything on the court every single night.

And Angel is definitely not taking it for granted. Even with the Sky struggling, she’s been a bright spot, etching her name in WNBA history. Already this season, she became the quickest player to reach 450 points and 450 rebounds in WNBA history, and she’s the first player ever to record 15+ rebounds in four straight games. In Saturday’s loss to Connecticut, she put up 11 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in 31 minutes, logging her 19th double-double of the season and 45th of her career, making her the fastest player in WNBA history to hit 45 career double-doubles. 

Also, it came at the most fitting time. Facing Tina Charles, she actually beat her pace from 2010–11, the most ever across a player’s first two WNBA seasons. Charles reached 45 in 68 games, and Reese did it in just her 60th career game. Even a minute restriction in just her third game back from a back injury couldn’t stop her. But we are not surprised – making such records is almost like Reese’s forte now, who is currently averaging 14.4 points and 12.2 rebounds. Sadly, all that brilliance couldn’t flip the result. The loss, though, came with something we hadn’t seen before. 

Angel Reese & Co. had to hold back the Sky Coach 

The Connecticut Sun did something Chicago hasn’t managed all season: a third straight win. A disappointing 94-84 showing gave their rivals, the Sun, the streak. But if you ask Sky coach Tyler Marsh, a lot of the frustration came down to officiating. Well, he really let it show.

The game started with the Sun jumping out to an early lead, and the Sky did everything they could to fight back. Early in the second quarter, Elizabeth Williams drove into the paint. As she made a move, Sun’s Aaliyah Edwards appeared to heckle her. She went for the ball but ended up sprawled across Williams’ back, a pretty obvious foul, and right there in front of the referee on the sideline.

But surprisingly, no foul was called. That was the breaking point. Marsh ran onto the court, visibly heated, and came face-to-face with an official. It looked like he might lose it completely, but Reese, the coaching staff, and players stepped in to hold him back. He did get his words across, but it cost him an ejection. That didn’t stop him from taking a not-so-subtle dig at the officiating in the postgame conference, though. 

Honestly, this isn’t a surprise for anyone following the league. Coaches and players have often expressed frustration over calls, or missed calls, throughout the season. Maybe Marsh’s reaction crossed the line, but you can also see where he’s coming from.