Chicago Sky athlete, Angel Reese is commanding the spotlight. Whether she’s walking the orange carpet at All-Star Weekend, dropping double-doubles, or debuting her first Reebok sneakers. But lately, the headlines haven’t been about her game. They’ve been about a clash with WNBA legend Candace Parker. A cryptic tweet, a viral podcast clip, and a heated fan debate have turned the sophomore forward into the center of the league’s latest off-court drama.

The forward player took to X (former Twitter) and wrote, “Clout is one helluva DRUG. Like it gets to a point.” This cryptic message was a dig at Parker’s latest podcast. Reese hinted at how Parker used her name to gain followers, cryptically referring to the act as a stooping stature for someone like Parker, who wished to gain attention and views.

Well, a clip on the Post Moves podcast is making rounds on X where Candace Parker is seen sharing the screen with Aliyah Boston. Here, she clears the air surrounding the Chicago Sky star. The 6-minute video is captioned, “Candace Parker addresses Angel Reese.” Moreover, Parker revealed her side of the story, wherein she was asked to rate the current WNBA players into a tier system.

“For those of you who don’t know, I did a tier ranking, and I’m going to list the players. A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers, Cam Brink, and Angel Reese,” Parker confessed. She recalled the incident and admitted that the impromptu question led her to place Wilson, Collier, and Stewie as the top-ranked athletes so far.

However, this led to a social media uproar as she supposedly placed Reese in the lower tiers. Fans commented on the Instagram reel, calling Parker a hater. However, she refuted the fan claims and said that she was no hater. While she argued that they are the best players right now, she urged Reese’s fans to disclose the names of players they would move to lower ranks to accommodate Angel Reese.

“I, in no way, shape, or form, am a hater, but what player are you taking Angel Reese over? Of those I just listed,” Parker directly questioned the viewers and Boston, who suggested waiting for the responses. But shortly after the trailer dropped, Reese did not waste a moment and tweeted the message meant for the W legend. She further clarified herself as an analyst who “prides myself on trying to be an analyst that does not do that (attack people’s character).”

While Parker used the podcast as a means to reach out to fans and clear the air, it seems like Reese isn’t interested. With the player returning to the depleted roster, can Angel Reese team up with Kamila Cardoso and climb out of their misery? With a staggering 6-point losing streak to their name, things look difficult for the Chicago Sky as they navigate through the season.

Angel Reese’s comeback brings another upset to the Chicago Sky

While sophomore player Angel Reese recovered from her back injury ahead of the game against the Washington Mystics, not all was well in the locker room. With a depleted roster of only eight active players, the team delivered to their fullest against a relatively younger, healthier roster.

On the other hand, Reese made a solid comeback with 22 points on 6-16 shooting, 13 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. But in vain. “We didn’t do a great job at protecting the paint today, and that was the difference in the game,” head coach of Chicago Sky, Tyler Marsh, said in a post-game conference. This statement highlighted his visible frustration, as the roster stumbled in the paint.

Meanwhile, not only did the Mystics grab 52 points against the Sky’s 40, the rookie brigade of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen made career-high points and bolstered their team towards a jaw-dropping 103-86 win. Citron contributed 28 points as Iriafen added 22 points to the roster’s massive win.

Despite Kamilla Cardoso adding 21 points and Rachel Banham scoring 19 points, the Sky fell to their sixth consecutive loss so far. With veteran support in Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot sidelined, the pressure fell on Reese and Cardoso to rally the hollow team through the remainder of the season.