The Chicago Sky failed to make the WNBA playoffs after a brutal 87-54 defeat to the Connecticut Sun last Thursday. That game finished a 2-8 stretch for the team after the Olympics break, which included a season-ending injury to Sky star Angel Reese, leading to a 13-27 record and missing the playoffs by two games. Throughout the Sky's season, Angel Reese cut a polarizing figure for WNBA fans, especially because of her rivalry with Indiana Fever star and unanimous Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark.

Still, while recovering from surgery, Reese called out the racist fans spreading hate against her and set the record straight.

“For the past 2 years, the media has benefited from my pain & me being villainized to create a narrative,” the Sky rookie said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, shared via ClutchPoints. “They allowed this… I'm sorry to all the players that have/continue to experience the same things I have… I don't want an apology nor do I think this will ever stop but something has to change.”

The full statement is here, via Angel Reese's official account on X.

The Sky star speaks out

WNBA basketball player Angel Reese attends the game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium.
© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

It probably didn't help that even WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert compared Reese and Clark to Bird and Magic, who both drew millions of new viewers to the NBA after years in the doldrums.

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However, the WNBA players' association also called her out for failing to condemn the hate against the two rising stars. Still, Reese's popularity also meant receiving a lot of hate her way throughout the season, especially from fans on social media who painted her as a villain due to her big personality on and off the court.

Even her Sky teammates received online harassment from fans, which made the season a lot more difficult than it should have been.

“It was disgusting,” Isabelle Harrison said, via a report from Grant Young for Sports Illustrated. “I've never experienced this amount of hate and harassment this entire season. I'm getting emotional about it… I'm constantly having to block people, and people are making narratives up about you. It's hurtful. And it's hard to just focus on basketball.”

Through it all, though, the Sky put up a valiant fight to make the playoffs, even as they unraveled down the stretch, partly due to Reese's injury.

Angel Reese, the Sky's seventh overall pick in the WNBA draft, also had a stellar rookie season. At one point she held the single-season WNBA record for most rebounds, though three-time MVP A'ja Wilson ended up taking it. Reese also was the fastest WNBA player to reach 20 double-doubles in a season.

Meanwhile, the Sun has had the honor of eliminating both the Sky and the Fever from the playoffs. On Wednesday, the Sun swept the Fever 2-0 to advance to the semifinals, despite Caitlin Clark's best efforts.