Chicago Sky Double Standards Pointed Out After Angel Reese Gets Banned For One Half in Aces Game

Sometimes apologizing is the only bridge left to cross. It can mend bruised trust and give hope that tomorrow might be less fractured than today. But forgiveness hasn’t exactly been Chicago’s love language, and Angel Reese learned that the hard way.

The two-time All-Star, Chicago’s lone All-Star representative this season, and the league leader in defensive rebounds, recently let her frustrations spill. Since the Sky had stumbled to 10-30, been knocked out of the playoffs for a second straight year, limping to a 3–15 record since July’s All-Star break, Reese told the Tribune: “I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year. We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason.”

Her demands this time weren’t quiet, and neither were her doubts about the roster’s talent. She doubled down: “I am very vocal about what we need and what I want. I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me. But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”

From the outside, her words felt like a star holding her franchise accountable. From the inside, Chicago called it a breach of cohesion. The Sky confirmed her suspension for the first half of the Aces game on Friday, packaging it in corporate polish: “The Chicago Sky values the safety, respect, and well-being of every player. We are committed to accountability. So our players can stay focused on playing basketball.”

The bigger sting here is that Angel Reese was already paying the price with her eighth technical foul, which carried an automatic one-game ban vs the Fever. And so she bent toward contrition: “I think the language is taken out of context. I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates, because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year. I want to apologize to my teammates. Which I already have about the article and how it was misconstrued about what was said. And I just have to be better with my language.”

But fans weren’t buying the organization’s holier-than-thou stance. Rewind to the start of 2025: just six weeks into a 2–6 start, Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca had publicly told Reese she needed to “do more” and “be better for the team.” Now, the moment she dared to hold up the mirror, the punishment came swiftly. The hypocrisy was obvious, and Chicago’s faithful made sure to call it out.

Why Angel Reese Said Nothing New

Right after @trendyhoopstars resurfaced Jeff Pagliocca’s remarks from the Sky’s rocky start, the timeline lit up in Angel Reese’s defense. Fans came in and argued that her frustration wasn’t only natural but expected from the franchise’s lone All-Star. And in their eyes, if this were the men’s game, nobody would bat an eye.

One fan cut straight to the point: “That wouldn’t be gender equality when you consider that LeBron James has publicly stated, ‘We need a f— playmaker,’ and nothing happened afterward — except the Cavaliers signing another playmaker.” Another echoed the sentiment: “You can’t do this in the NBA .. yall want gender equality there you go.”

That’s the truth, and it goes beyond blunt honesty. Kobe Bryant regularly roasted teammates in public. Even Michael Jordan would storm into the locker room to flip chairs. Yet those moments became part of their mythology rather than scandals threatening their careers. The difference here is the standard applied to women. Angel Reese and her teammates work and train at the same level as male pros. However, the world expects them to smile, compliment, and apologize their way through shortcomings. God forbid they ask for what they deserve.

Fans also pointed out that Angel Reese wasn’t exactly breaking new ground. “Angel has said NOTHING DIFFERENT ANY of former Sky players have said, Go look up what Diamond & Kahleah, among others have said,” one commenter reminded. After getting traded to the Mercury, when the topic of what Chicago must improve to become a true free-agent destination came up, Kahleah Copper summed it up with a pointed response: “Some things are obvious.” Copper has even spoken emotively about how leaving Chicago allowed her to “thrive”.

But not everyone agreed. Some drew a hard line: “When a GM says ‘you better get better’ and that player says ‘no, you get better players,’ that’s how you ruin your career.” Others softened their defense. They expressed support for Angel Reese’s right to speak up, but not the way she went about it. “She said a lot more than that which was unacceptable.”

Those critics had specific receipts. Angel Reese reportedly questioned whether Courtney Vandersloot (36 years old, coming off a torn ACL) could still anchor a championship team. She suggested that the Sky needed someone younger and more energetic to lead. That didn’t sit well with fans, given Vandersloot’s résumé: two-time WNBA champion, second all-time in assists behind Sue Bird. Nor did her dismissals of Rachel Banham and Hailey Van Lith as potential leaders of a playoff-caliber roster, while suggesting that the only franchise cornerstones were herself and Cardoso.

According to reports, those comments ruffled feathers inside the locker room enough to spark a team meeting. And the history lesson didn’t stop there. One fan dug deeper: “I would have suspended her after the despicable act of slapping an tablet out of coaches hand earlier in year.” In the final 30 seconds of Chicago’s closely contested WNBA game against the Washington Mystics, with the score tied and a loose-ball foul being disputed, Reese’s frustration had boiled over. As she headed back to the bench, she slammed a clipboard out of the hands of Sky staffer Ann Crosby.

However, Reese had later apologized, saying, “Those —- were pissing me off—shoutout to Ann because she knew it was the heat of the moment and she didn’t let me apologize. Not happening again tho.” For some, though, that moment was another example of her crossing the line.

So yes, Angel Reese has a tendency to air frustrations loudly, sometimes too loudly for her critics. But as her defenders point out, is it really harsher than what her male counterparts have done and been celebrated for? That’s the debate, and it’s one that isn’t dying down soon. Let us know what you think!