Angel Reese’s historic rookie season ended prematurely because of a wrist injury. The WNBA’s rebounding leader barely concluded a game without a memorable triumph. While the Chicago Sky wasn’t able to capitalize on the 22-year-old’s performances, there is still hope that the team can make it to the postseason. But is there any chance the Chi-Town Barbie could return in the playoffs?

It was a season-ending injury just two weeks before the start of the playoffs, the worst of her nightmares. During Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks, the No. 7 draft pick endured a painful wrist injury. “I hurt my wrist, I’m out for the season. I fell on my hand when I got the and-one, where I fell back on my hand,” she shared in a TikTok video.

Due to this, she suffered a small crack in the bone. She was given two options by the doctors: either not have surgery or go ahead with it. “The risk of not having surgery was that I could literally have arthritis at 22 years old. That wasn’t an option,” she added. Since it was “not even that big,” she chose the second option to avoid any further risks.

“So I’m getting surgery on Tuesday (September 10). I’m literally gonna be in a hard cast for four weeks and then I’m gonna be in a soft cast for two weeks that’ll be removable and the I’m back. So, six weeks I’ll be back to do my own thing,” Reese further revealed. It confirms that she will at least be out for this season irrespective of how deep the Sky go in the playoffs.

Angel Reese’s injury puts an end to her historic rookie year

Although Reese will miss out on the remainder of her 2024 rookie campaign, she’s already set a bar that few can reach. Despite enduring the injury in the fourth quarter against the Sparks, she continued playing, adding another double-double to her streak. She managed to contribute 24 impressive points with 12 rebounds in 34 minutes of gameplay against the Sparks.

As of now, she’s the leader in single-season rebounds, not just as a rookie but as a player in WNBA history. Her stats will remain consistent unless the Aces’ star A’ja Wilson, also out due to injury, catches up with her. Reese stands at 446 rebounds, while Wilson trails by almost 40 with six games left. Moreover, the “Chi-Town Barbie” holds the WNBA record with 15 consecutive double-doubles. She also holds the record for most double-doubles as a rookie with 26.

Had she played for six more games before the season’s conclusion, she could have surpassed Alyssa Thomas’ WNBA record of 28 double-doubles. Regardless, the Chicago Sky standout’s season was an enormous success on its own. “What a year. I never would have imagined the last bucket of my rookie season would be a 3,” she said in the statement announcing her injury. Soon, Reese will return to play during the winter in Miami for the Unrivaled League as one of its competitors.