Everyone knows that when the season begins, a team’s home opener and season opener are circled on even the most casual fans’ calendars. The stakes are high—higher still when you’re playing in front of your home crowd for the first time since September, a crowd ready to scream themselves hoarse for you. And even more so if you’ve already dropped your season opener. Yet, it turned out to be a cold night for the Chicago Sky that soon turned into a storm they couldn’t weather. The Liberty rained down a WNBA-record 19 threes in a 99-74 blowout. And amid the wreckage, all eyes turned to Angel Reese, whose career-worst game stuck out like a sore thumb. 

After the demolition, Tyler Marsh tried to ease pressure on his star center. When asked what was preventing Reese from finding her offensive rhythm after a rough opener, he said: “I think it was just… some of them were just rushed on this. I mean, that was really it… But I mean, Angel knows that we have confidence in her… It’s not going to be often that we have a ton of nights like this.”

But then again, this is a second “night like” the one against the Fever— but only worse.

Against New York, Reese shot 0-for-8 from the field, 2-of-6 from the line, and committed five of the team’s 23 turnovers. It marked the first time in 136 games—college or pro—that she failed to make a single field goal. That streak stretched back to 2021. Even her 12 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, couldn’t disguise a glaring absence: points. So, the first message from Marsh now sounds like something he mumbled under the pressure of locker-room rumors. Because he defended her, yes—but he also acknowledged the root of the problem: rushed decisions, lack of execution. “It’s just a matter of doing it,” Marsh said. And Reese couldn’t.

It is going to hurt, especially because this unraveling comes days after the bruising loss to Indiana, where Caitlin Clark’s hard foul on Reese triggered a flagrant and sparked tensions. Reese was vocal about the WNBA’s subsequent investigation into racial abuse from fans, telling reporters: “There’s no place in the league for that… Being a part of an organization that really supports me and loves me is something I just couldn’t imagine not being a part of.” That love was on full display from the stands Thursday night. Fans in No. 5 jerseys shouted her name, held up prom invites, and defended Reese to anyone who’d listen. But support, while emotionally powerful, can’t fix stat sheets and can’t make a team gel together. 

The Liberty exposed Chicago’s weak spots. Despite Marsh’s effort to spread the floor and open the paint for Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, the team shot just 36.2% overall. Vandersloot, Allen, and Banham carried the scoring load, while Reese’s presence in the post produced groans with every missed layup. At one point, a technical foul on Reese stalled the team’s best run of the night.

Postgame, Marsh didn’t lash out—he looked inward. “Three weeks and two games together, it’s tough to be a championship caliber team,” he admitted. “ And so we want to play consistent sky basketball for 40 minutes game to game.” But with Reese, consistency is still a theory, not a reality. Pundits like Nick Wright have already sharpened their critiques. “Right now, Angel Reese is a wildly famous rebounder,” he said earlier this week. “Angel Reese needs to be better at basketball. I’m not talking about as a person, or a podcaster, or at the Met Gala“. And after another no-show, that assessment stings a little less like a roast and a little more like fact.

There’s no denying Reese’s toughness. She has weathered social media storms, on-court clashes, and racial abuse with composure. But as we all know, rebounds are second chances. But how many second chances can one player get?

Cam Newton Comes to Angel Reese’s Defense Amid Controversy

But while many are criticizing Angel Reese, a fierce chorus of support is rising in her defense, champions who see beyond the headlines and the heat of the moment. Cam Newton stepped into the conversation not just to comment on a foul, but to unpack the deeper layers of identity and perception fueling the controversy.

Newton challenged Robert Griffin III’s claim on X that “Angel Reese hates Caitlin Clark,” pointing out that Griffin’s perspective is shaped by his own life, particularly his interracial marriage. “You cannot speak on something that you didn’t marry,” Newton said bluntly on 4th&1. “He’s married to a white woman. That’s not an issue, but everything you do comes with a cause and effect.” These comments backed up Ryan Clark’s tweet that slammed Griffin for lacking insight into what Black women endure, highlighting how this entire debate is more than a sports rivalry—it’s a cultural clash over race, gender, and authenticity.

And amid all this noise, Angel is focused on her own path, letting her story speak for itself. Just days ago, she celebrated her brother Julian Reese’s graduation from the University of Maryland—proof of a family bond that has seen it all. Adversity despite excellence.