The Chicago Sky really said that if we are not going, then you are not, too. Well, on paper, this matchup could’ve gone either way as both teams came in limping with 2–7 records, barely hovering above the league’s bottom. Still, the Sky held the edge, mostly because the Sun has been grabbing just 46.2% of available boards, one of the worst rates in the league, with a defensive rebounding rate of 66.9%. But while Chicago was already out of the Commissioner’s Cup race, the Sun were clinging to a flicker of hope with their 1–2 Cup record. That hope didn’t last long. The one they were supposed to stop, Angel Reese, came out firing on all cylinders, dragging the Sun down.

In Reese’s own words, “Because mebounds, crebounds, keybounds, tebounds… anything that comes off the board, it’s mine.” And she fully leaned into it, delivering even more as she pinched off the stat sheet. The Chi-Town Barbie delivered her first triple-double, 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, leading her team to a 78-66 win. Her performance also placed her in a rare class. She became the second-youngest player ever to record a triple-double in WNBA history, just behind Caitlin Clark.

So, slowly but surely, we’re seeing the Angel Reese we expected after her record-breaking rookie season. Remember her dominance on the boards last year and that iconic double-double streak? But, still, it’s not like the flashes of her brilliance have completely gone AWOL in 2025. With ten games into the new season, she’s still leading the league in rebounds with 11.8 per game. Yet somehow, her dominance has drawn criticism. Some claim her stats are inflated or that her rebounds don’t lead to wins. But if you’re really paying attention, you’ll see she’s impacting every part of the game – and those criticisms? They haven’t broken her; they’ve only fueled her.

Her postgame message on X made it clear as day. “DUBS IN THE CHATTT,” she wrote, and we knew that, for Reese, this triple-double wasn’t just another stat line; it was a direct clapback at the internet critics who constantly troll her for grabbing “mebounds.”

Teammate Ariel Atkins put it perfectly after the Sky’s loss to the Dream, saying, “This is a 23-year-old kid, and the amount of crap that she gets on the day-to-day, and she still shows up.” And her words resonated far beyond the locker room as even Cardi B reposted the clip, showing support for the rookie phenom.

Sure, Angel Reese’s scoring efficiency has taken a nosedive, and her turnover numbers are climbing. But stats never tell the whole story, especially when the Chicago Sky haven’t even figured out the basics like spacing. And let’s not forget that Marina Mabrey’s trade should have arrived with a “paint crowd included” warning. Because, who did it affect the most? The star of the team, Reese, of course, as it limited her opportunities. To make matters messier, the Sky are in a rebuild mode. Chemistry is still fermenting, and strategy is subject to change every quarter. In fact, Reese and Kamilla Cardoso often get iced out, only to be handed the ball in garbage time like a consolation prize. That’s not development, it’s damage control.

It’s a coaching and system issue. Angel hasn’t been set up to shine, and yet, she’s doing what she can since she is not living in delusion either. “I’ve kind of been a passer all my career. I came out of high school as the No. 1 wing, and I’m trying to get back to that. Trying to get back to being super versatile,” Reese explained postgame. “I’m still figuring it out, but I have patience. Obviously, [against the Sun] it came up big.”  

Honestly, it has been all adding up for a while.

Angel Reese has been making history

No doubt, Angel Reese is already making W’s history. Just consider, she’s leading the W in rebounds per game, averaging a jaw-dropping 11.8 boards. But she’s not just cleaning up on the defensive end; she’s grabbing 5.1 offensive rebounds a night. Per the Underdog WNBA X account, that stat alone puts her in elite company, tying her with NBA legend Moses Malone and even surpassing Dennis Rodman’s NBA average.

And if you think that’s where it stops, it does not! Chicago Sky sensation is also the fastest player in WNBA history to rack up 30 double-doubles, hitting that milestone in just 42 games, quicker than legends like Candace Parker and Natalie Williams. She’s also the fastest to reach 450 points and 450 rebounds, doing so in only her 35th career game. That kind of consistency? It’s rare, and it’s special.

But despite putting up those numbers, Reese has faced her share of criticism. Some doubters pointed out that most of her rebounds were on the defensive end (7.1 per game), questioning whether her individual dominance was translating into wins for the Sky. Meanwhile, others pointed to her early struggles, like her career-low performance against the New York Liberty, where she scored just 2 points and went 0-8 from the field.

Still, Reese never let the noise get to her. Responding to the “mebounds” nickname, she said: “When y’all came up with mebounds—’cause, statistically, all the rebounds I get aren’t always just mine. They’re the defense’s too, or somebody else’s on my team—but when y’all came up with mebounds, y’all ate.”

That’s classic Reese: honest and fiery. Now, with her numbers doing the talking, it’s getting harder for critics to ignore her impact. After all, Reese’s rebounding isn’t just a stat line; it’s a statement.