Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are in the middle of a tough stretch. The second-year forward and her Eastern Conference squad have dropped two straight games, falling to 2-6 and sitting 11th in the WNBA standings.
Reese isn’t just dealing with struggles on the court. She continues to face heavy criticism on social media, much of it unrelated to basketball. The latest round of backlash came after she was honored as Sportswoman of the Year at the BET Awards, sparking a wave of trolling and negative commentary.
Sue Bird Offers Advice to Angel Reese on Blocking Out the Noise
WNBA legend Sue Bird recently weighed in on how Reese can handle the constant criticism. Speaking on USA Today’s Sports Seriously, Bird suggested that tuning out social media might be the best solution.
“I interviewed Kate Martin recently. She talked about how she’s on the Golden State Valkyries, which is an expansion team. She was like, ‘I knew the comments on social media were going to be crazy, so I just got off.’ And it was the best advice. It’s so simple, but for a lot of these players, there is so much hate on social media. It’s like, just get outta there.”
The noise has only grown louder as Reese battles a scoring slump. That hasn’t gone unnoticed, but she still has plenty of support in the locker room. Sky teammate Ariel Atkins recently defended Reese and praised her mental strength.
“Her crown is heavy,” Atkins said, according to Yahoo! Sports. “So, whatever else y’all wanna come at her for—the way that she acts—she has to build the wall. She has to have the wall because if she doesn’t, people will break her down.”
Angel Reese Still Dominating the Glass
Despite her scoring dip, Reese continues to lead the league in rebounding. She’s pulling down 12.1 boards per game, the most in the WNBA. New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones ranks second with 10.3, while Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson is third at 9.9.
Reese is averaging 10.1 points per game this season, down from 13.6 as a rookie. But it’s still early in the year, and the Sky are counting on her to find her rhythm. With veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot sidelined for the season, Chicago needs Reese to step up on offense just as much as she does on defense.
Her presence in the paint will be crucial as the Sky look to snap their skid.
Up next, Chicago continues its road trip with games at Atlanta and Connecticut. Both matchups are part of the Commissioner’s Cup, where the Sky have yet to win. With added stakes and national attention, the pressure will remain high.
But so will the focus on Angel Reese as she pushes through a challenging chapter in her young career.