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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is officially suspended for Friday’s game against the Indiana Fever. The WNBA announced the suspension after she picked up her eighth technical foul on Wednesday against the Connecticut Sun.
Reese got whistled for the tech with 46.2 seconds remaining in the first half. She appeared to make contact with Aaliyah Edwards while preparing to defend a possible rebound, and the officials went to the monitor to review the contact. Ultimately, they deemed it enough to warrant a technical foul.
According to WNBA rules, Reese was facing a one-game suspension unless the tech was rescinded. The league office confirmed she would miss Friday’s game, and she would be automatically suspended for an additional game for every two additional technical foul calls.
“Under WNBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game upon receiving an eighth technical foul during the regular season,” the WNBA said in its announcement. “For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game.”
Reese is in the midst of a strong second season in the WNBA despite battling injuries throughout the year. In 30 appearances, she’s averaging 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds across 29 games, and her shooting percentage is up to 45.8% this year after going 39.1% from the field as a rookie.
In Wednesday night’s blowout victory over the Sun, Reese helped lead the charge. She recorded yet another double-double as she put up 18 points and 13 rebounds, along with four assists and four steals.
But before the game, she made headlines for comments about the state of the Sky organization as Chicago looks at a potential worse record than her rookie season. Afterward, Angel Reese apologized for the remarks, which came during an interview with the Chicago Tribune. She said she didn’t intent to put down her teammates in the article.
“I don’t think I’m frustrated – I probably am frustrated with myself right now,” Reese said in her postgame press conference. “I think the language is taken out of context and I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year. They’ve busted their ass just how I’ve busted my ass. They’ve shown up for me through thick and thin and in the locker room when nobody could see anything.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, which I already have. I thought the article and how it was misconstrued about what was said, I just have to be better with my language because I know it’s not the message, it’s the messenger and understanding what I say can be taken any kind of way. So I just have to really be better and grow from this.”
