For those of you who don’t follow the WNBA closely (yes, I’m aware that’s all of you), Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are having a rough year.
Rough is actually the diplomatic way to put it; they’re awful.
The Sky got blown out by the Liberty Tuesday night, 85-66, but it could have been much worse. The Liberty led by as much as 34, but took their foot off the gas, which led to the lead getting under 20, and this is not an isolated incident. The Sky, 2-6, has suffered blowout losses in five of their six losses. The Sky has lost each game this year by an average of 20.7 points.
After the game, Sky player Ariel Atkins was asked about the criticism Angel Reese faces for her actions both on and off the court. Atkins quickly struck out at Reese’s critics.
“This is a 23-year-old kid and the amount of crap that she gets on day-to-day, and she still shows up,” Atkins said. “Whatever questions ya’ll got about our team, basketball-wise we appreciate it, but all the other nonsense, it’s irrelevant. We’re here to play basketball and do what we do. We’re having a hard time right now at the end of the day.”
Ariel Atkins on the criticism Angel Reese receives outside of basketball. pic.twitter.com/SGtmd1uBLA
— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) June 11, 2025
“This is a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace. Her crown is heavy, so whatever else y’all wanna come at her for the way that she acts, she has to build a wall. She has to have a wall. Because if she doesn’t, people will break her down. Not only because of the way that she looks, but because of the way she carries herself.”
On the bright side, Reese had her best game of the year against the Liberty: a season-high 17 points and 11 rebounds. Even better, she shot 61.5% from the field. However, on the season, Caitlin Clark’s archrival is averaging 9.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. And, as has been thoroughly documented by the “mebound” meme factory, almost all of Reese’s rebounds have come from her own missed layups.
The Sky takes on the Atlanta Dream on Friday.
