Why isn’t Angel Reese playing in Unrivaled?

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese dominated Unrivaled during its debut season in 2025.

The WNBA star was among the initial group of 36 players to join the Miami-based 3-on-3 league co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. In Year One, Reese won a championship with Rose BC and took home Defensive Player of the Year honors. She also made Unrivaled history with the league’s first 20-20 game. Reese scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds during a Feb. 21, 2025, matchup against the Lunar Owls.

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Season Two of Unrivaled tipped off on Jan. 5, with more teams, tighter competition and a larger prize money pool. The 3-on-3 league grew in size, from six to eight teams, and added a developmental pool, increasing the number of roster spots from 36 to 54. Additionally, Unrivaled added a $50,000 free throw challenge to its player prize money pool.

Despite the league’s growth and leading her team to a title last season, Reese isn’t playing in Unrivaled during Year Two. The reason why the Sky forward decided to forego the Unrivaled season isn’t immediately clear. However, she did end her WNBA sophomore season managing a back injury and a Sept. 7 half-game suspension for statements “detrimental to the team” after vocalizing her frustrations with the franchise. After the season, Reese walked the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway in October and attended a Team USA senior training camp in December, but has otherwise been fairly quiet.

“That was the goal for this offseason,” Reese tweeted on Nov. 3. “Quietly minding my business so everybody won’t mind mine.”

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Ahead of her third season in the WNBA and amid ongoing CBA negotiations, the Chicago forward confirmed her return to the franchise, telling the media in December, “I’m under contract, so yes, I plan on returning to the Sky.”

“It’s important to be really involved … especially for me and my class going forward,” Reese later added regarding WNBA CBA negotiations. “I think everybody’s very intentional about what we want. … So I’m preparing for a season like everybody else’s, but we have to come to a negotiation. It’s really important for us to come to a common ground that we can all agree on. It’s all fair, and everybody benefits from it.”

Reese begins the third year of her rookie-scale contract next season, which she signed after being drafted seventh overall by the Sky in April 2024.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why isn’t Angel Reese playing in Unrivaled