Angel Reese Facing WNBA Suspension for Sky-Fever Matchup on Friday

It’s been quite an eventful 24 hours for Chicago Sky star Angel Reese.

The day began with a controversial story in the Chicago Tribune, in which Reese vented some longstanding frustration with the organization for not building a better team around her.

She publicly called out head coach Tyler Marsh, general manager Jeff Pagliocca, and teammate Courtney Vandersloot is a serious of remarks that some took as Reese throwing everyone else under the bus while absolving herself of any blame for the Sky’s 10-30 season and 11th-place position in the WNBA standings and hinting she might move on from the Sky if things don’t change.

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Then in Wednesday’s matchup against the Connecticut Sun — a game the Sky won 88-64 and Reese recorded her 3rd double-double of the season in — Reese was assessed a technical foul, her eighth of the year, meaning she will serve a one-game suspension and sit out Friday’s contest against the Indiana Fever, though Marsh confirmed the Sky plan to appeal to the WNBA to have the suspension rescinded.

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“[The ref] said that it was either going to be a [technical] or a flagrant, and I didn’t know how that’s determined, and he said it was too late to put it as a flagrant,” Reese said after the game, via Chicago State of Mind Sports.

“I was like, ‘Why didn’t you let us make that decision knowing I already have seven techincals and the next one I would have to sit the next game?’ So I think we’re going to go back and talk to the league about it.”

The play in which Reese’s foul happened left room for debate about whether or not a technical should’ve been called.

As she was battling for positioning under the basket, Reese was trying to line herself up for a rebound attempt and seemingly made accidental contact with Aaliyah Edwards’ head as she turned her back.

While it was seemingly difficult in the moment to assess whether or not the contact was intentional, the officials ruled Reese connecting with Edwards’ head was reason enough to hit her with a technical.

According to WNBA rules, any player will automatically be suspended without pay for one game after receiving their eighth regular-season technical foul. Every two technical accrued after the eighth will also result in another one-game suspension as well.

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