For the Chicago Sky, it wasn’t the best stretch to begin the 2025 season with, going 0-4. Yet through the turbulence, Angel Reese never let her confidence in the team falter. “Somebody said we wasn’t the best young core in the league… I think we’re the best young core in the league for sure, hands down,” she told ESPN earlier this year. Well, that’s the kind of loyalty she’s held for the Sky locker room. But after her recent remarks, that very loyalty is under the microscope, and if there’s a consideration to make it right, a former WNBA player just dropped a blueprint.

Soon after Reese’s interview with Julia Poe dropped, a fallout followed: a team meeting, a half-game suspension, and, according to a few eagle-eyed fans, a change in the forward’s Instagram bio —  she had removed ‘Chi-Town Barbie’. That sparked a few trade rumors with LA being thrown in as a suggestion. Even before that, an anonymous league executive asked the forward to request a trade if the franchise did not bring it up by itself. But that doesn’t seem to be a likely scenario. Reese is their cornerstone. And if she does choose to remain so, Angel McCoughtry has a suggestion on how she could build a healthier environment in the locker room.

“I am all about saying what you feel. We don’t hold stuff in, but it’s just how we say it,” the 5x All-Star shared on Good Follow podcast. “They [teammates] are already looking at you like you have everything. They don’t have million-dollar endorsements. But they are having a losing season, too. You know what I would do, Angel? I would go to one of my endorsements and say, ‘give me a $100,000, so I can give all my teammates $10,000, just to show them I care.’ That puts you in the spotlight of like, ‘wow, let’s set this girl up.'” 

Reebok signature shoes, McDonald’s meal, Reese’s peanut butter cups, Raising Cane’s– the 23-year-old has built a brand like few others. She also has business investments like ownership in DC Power FC and the Unrivaled. Naturally, endorsement is no big task for her now, and helping your teammates be a part of it is nothing new. We have seen Azzi Fudd, among others, sharing the deal with her players, endorsing the same product. And Reese herself has done something similar before— gifting products.

Not only would it build a good locker room rapport, but it would also uplift the team altogether. McCoughtry, having 13 years of experience in the league, knows the importance of surrounding yourself with the right group. She also knows losing seasons are inevitable. She has watched a young A’ja Wilson go from crying for not making the playoffs to becoming 2x champion. Sabrina Ionescu wasn’t thrilled about the long journey from a depleted New York roster in 2020 to the title last year, either.

So Reese’s frustration is not hard to understand. For two consecutive years, she has held the reins; this year, she led the team in scoring, rebounds, and assists while the vets remained sidelined. But there’s a way to channel the disappointment.

“As a leader, what you do, you go to the front office at the end, you go see your GMs. Hey, what can we do? Who can we bring in? What vets can we bring in? Courtney’s coming back. That’s how you do it, Angel, for the future,” McCoughtry added on the podcast. From one Baltimore native to another.

With an estimated $1 million net worth and a promising ‘versatility’ to back up her impact, Reese has a way switch to things up for the Sky. How and when that transpires remains to be seen. But count on the 23-year-old to show up for her teammates.

Angel Reese is no stranger to making use of endorsements for teammates

While the Chi-Town Barbie hasn’t pitched for her mates yet, she’s doing something along the lines. When she arrived at the W, she prepared a nice gesture for all her mates. Taking advantage of her deal with Beats, she gifted a pair of headphones to all of her mates last year.

“They were talking to me about my whole Beats thing and Bri had commented, ‘I want a pair.’ So imma get the whole team a pair of Beats too. Being able to have the impact that I do have, I can get the team whatever they want,” she shared back then.

And it ain’t just her Sky mates. Earlier during the offseason, when she was ruled out for the Unrivaled semifinals, she replicated a similar move for her Rose BC teammates. Despite suffering a hand injury, she gifted Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds that cost $249 to her mates.

“SHOUTOUT TO @BEATSBYDRE FOR ALLOWING ME TO BLESS MY TEAMMATES WITH THE NEW POWERBEATS PRO 2!… TONIGHT WE HAVE A BIG GAME, SO OF COURSE WE NEED THESE TO GET US LOCKED IN!” she captioned her Instagram post, wherein she posted a video of surprising her mates. So yeah, she’s been doing all of that stuff already. But it hasn’t come for her current Sky roster, though!