Kahleah Copper Banters With Angel Reese After Sky Star Makes Franchise History

The Chi-town Barbie has done it again! After having a slow start to the season, not only did Angel Reese find her groove in her sophomore year, but she hasn’t hit a pause in building on her growth. First, she became the fastest player to get 30 double-doubles in just 42 games. Then she topped it off by becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to reach both 600 points and 600 rebounds. Now she has made yet another record, but this time for the Chicago Sky.

While Chicago suffered an 83-79 loss against Phoenix on Thursday, Reese still managed to be the lone bright spot for the Windy City. She scored her 21st double-double of the season with 15 points and 20 rebounds. With that, she now leads in the double-double count, surpassing Alyssa Thomas (20) and A’ja Wilson (19). But it was the 20 rebounds that made the Chicago Sky franchise history.

After the Mercury game, Angel Reese took her total rebounds tally to 800, landing her in the top 5 rebounders for Chicago. The person she surpassed? Kahleah Copper. Surpassing the record Copper set from 2017 to 2023 in just two years warranted a response from the veteran. Hilariously so, after having built the playful dynamic online as Rose BC teammates.

Cooper took to X to post a very in-character one-word reaction for Reese, “Relax.” The Chi-town Barbie also cheekily responded, using two emojis laughing with a hand over the mouth.

In her time with the Windy City, Kahleah Copper played 224 games, scoring 2,676 points, and 799 rebounds. But Chi-town Barbie managed to surpass her rebound count in just 62 games. Talk about dominance under the basket! With the pace Reese is grabbing the ball from the board, there is a real possibility she will reach the top spot soon. Currently, Sylvia Fowles (1,832) holds the Chicago Sky franchise record for total rebounds, followed by Courtney Vandersloot (1,166), Candice Dupree (977), and Tamera Young (963).

However, it is worth noting that Fowles made this record over the course of seven seasons with an average of 9.64 rebounds per game. Angel Reese can realistically surpass her in a few seasons if she keeps up with her current career average of 12.9 rebounds per game. She has already cemented her place among the best offensive rebounders in Chicago Sky history. With eight offensive boards against the Mercury, she moved into a tie with Candice Dupree for third all-time in that category. The performance pushed her career total to 284, leaving her just three rebounds away from passing Tamera Young (286) for the second spot.

Interestingly, her rookie teammate Kamilla Cardoso is also rapidly climbing the total rebounds list. Cardoso has surpassed Candace Parker (468) and Diamond DeShields (535) with a career total of 538 in two seasons. However, this record-breaking streak from these two players is still not enough to keep Chicago’s playoff hopes alive. And the frustration is visible from their star player.

Angel Reese faces harsh reality amid record-breaking season

The 23-year-old has come to terms with the grim reality of Chicago’s playoff elimination. And her frustration is beginning to show. Following the Sky’s 83-79 loss to Phoenix, Reese made it clear she is far from satisfied with how her team is playing. The Phoenix game put Chicago’s flaws on full display. The Sky finished with 21 turnovers to the Mercury’s nine. Phoenix racked up 17 steals, led by DeWanna Bonner’s five, and 11 blocks. Reese voiced her frustration soon after.

“I think sometimes we get a little comfortable… we can’t lay down, we can’t get comfortable no matter what.”

This is the stark opposite of what she wanted with her remaining games in the season. Earlier, when asked about her expectations for the remaining nine games, she gave a candid response. “Just to play hard as hell these last nine games. Give it our all, that’s all we’ve got,” she said. But her next words revealed the deeper truth about the Sky’s situation. “The game can be taken away from you anytime. I’m sure that all of us might not be on this team next year together. We might lose some teammates, or trades could happen. That’s part of the game.”

Despite a disappointing sophomore season, Reese continues to shine individually. But Chicago’s struggles have reached a point where she alone cannot carry her team. Change feels inevitable. And it feels imminent with the way Reese has accepted she will lose some teammates next season. Still, it is a bittersweet reality for Chicago fans: while their playoff hopes are gone, their young star continues to make history.