By the time the Chicago Sky walked into T-Mobile Arena, Angel Reese was already suspended. She’d apologized for her “detrimental” comments, but the penalty still stood. And even when the suspension ended, a back injury kept her out, preventing any return. Suddenly, it wasn’t just Reese paying the price; the entire Sky locker room felt the impact. But was this all by design? One WNBA analyst thinks they know the answer.

With the Sky looking “out of sync,” Head Coach Tyler Marsh was pressed on whether Angel Reese’s absence was to blame. He admitted it played a part, saying, “You know, there’s been another change to the lineup. And so that’s something that, you know, to some degree, every team deals with… But yeah, to answer your question, I think it did impact a little bit”. It was the Sky’s second straight loss without Reese. But don’t be fooled, the story isn’t quite as simple as it sounds.

So, as Keep the Vision’s host noticed the pattern, he decided to share it with the WNBA community. On his YouTube channel, the analyst said, “Angel Reese was suspended for the first half of today’s game versus the Las Vegas Aces. She told them, I don’t care if y’all suspend me, I ain’t playing anyway. My back hurt. Oh, that’s crazy. That is crazy. That’s crazy work, Angel. That’s crazy work, Angel. I cannot believe she just pulled the wool over their eyes like this. They thought that they was punishing her.”

His comments track when you read the updates for the Bayou Barbie. The Windy City’s got two more games before concluding the regular season, but it looks like Reese ain’t gonna get back. She missed the previous two games—the Fever one due to her technicals, and for the next one against the Aces, she’s questionable. According to Karli Bell of Marquee Sports Network, she’s out for Tuesday’s game due to a back injury. But if you listen to the KTV host, he doesn’t believe it’s an injury, especially considering the timing it all unfolded.

Reese, no doubt, is an incredibly talented player, leading the league in rebounds for the second consecutive year. Being a player of this caliber, and yet undergoing the worst run for the second consecutive season, is painful. So, the All-Star forward didn’t hold back when asked about the state of affairs. But that didn’t sit well with the KTV analyst.

“She already threw her teammates under the bus and said, yo, I need good players. These players is whack. I need great players. I need some real Hoopers. Vander Sloot, she’s old. Ariel Atkins ain’t all that. I need some real ballers. Threw her teammates under the bus and they’re not feeling it. Ariel Atkins wasn’t feeling it. We saw Courtney Vandersloot get on camera and take shots back at Angel Reese. This is wild. This is nasty work,” he added.

Well, yes, Reese singled out teammates she felt she couldn’t count on, naming Sloot, Rachel, and HVL among them. “We can’t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she’s at,” Reese said in an interview with the Chicago 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.”

Though she apologized later, as she said, “I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year,” in a postgame press conference after an 88-64 win over the Sun. But the damage was already done. Her comments hurt Sloot, who’s been out since June with a torn ACL. “Contrary to what people say or think, my age is absolutely not a factor. I am coming back,” the 36-year-old said in an interview with team broadcaster Shimmy Miller. “I’m gonna come back better than ever because that’s what I’ve done. I’ve put myself in the position to come back and compete at this age.”

And you don’t need any proof that it was all directed at Reese. So, AR is in an intense situation. However, her playing that not gonna play card is going to get her in more trouble and possibly traded as per the analyst. But is her injury really made up? It ain’t the first time Angel Reese has been sidelined with a back injury. Earlier this year, she missed seven games due to a back injury. Though it isn’t clear whether it was the same or a similar injury. Even when she made her return on August 19, she didn’t speak much about that. “I want to hoop,” she said before the game vs. the Seattle Storm, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m just happy to be out here to play the game I love… Put all the bulls— to the side, I wanna hoop.”

While it’s been a month, it’s possible for her to re-aggravate the injury. “Yeah, she reported it to us during pregame. And so, in conjunction with medical staff, Angel and the medical staff, we wanted to be as cautious as possible,” Marsh said, per Chicago State of Mind Sports after her suspension game.

“I think we’ve got to gauge it, day-by-day. Obviously, with two games remaining, Angel wants to be out there. So we’ll continue to work with her and our medical team to see what the best method or approach is moving forward,” he added, when asked if her injury was a growing concern. Ever since, there’s been no update on her injury by the official team. It’s quite hard to tell whether it’s intentional or not. But, if it is, consequences will simply follow!

Is Angel Reese shooting herself in the foot?

According to the KTV host, AR is sitting out deliberately so the team collapses without her, and to some extent, the numbers back it up. Losing 14.7 points and 3.7 assists per game, both team highs, is no small blow.

He added, “And the whole time she knew y’all can’t punish me. I’m gonna say my back hurts. I’m not gonna play anyway. This season is over. This is crazy… Angel Reese. You, I think, you overplaying your hand. You are definitely overplaying your hand. You’re gonna end up in Connecticut some goddamn where that you don’t even want to be. The organization, you are forcing them to get rid of you at this point. You’re forcing them.”

With her on court, the Sky managed to win against top teams like the Lynx and the NY Liberty. But without her, the Sky went 1-9 before the All-Star break, when Chi-Town Barbie was injured. They even lost by an average of 21.7 points per game, reflecting her absence on the roster. Though their 10-32 record is still the second-worst in the league.

But after the suspension, the moves AR’s taking might affect her tenure with the Sky, too. As the KTV host mentioned, Reese could end up at the Sun—the league’s bottom-most team—just because she’s not supporting her teammates and the organization. But is he wrong? Maybe. Reese simply couldn’t add her name among 60 players hitting free agency next year. Majorly due to her rookie contract. And will the Sky even think of trading her? Their franchise’s cornerstone, who kept the Sky in the conversation these past two years?