CHICAGO– Angel Reese is making sure some of the shine of the WNBA spotlight shines directly on the Chicago Sky.
The Sky is getting all the attention – led by the gregarious Reese.
The seventh overall draft pick will remind everyone who listens that there is a group of rookies helping to boost the WNBA’s ratings, attendance and revenue, not just the one playing in Indiana. However, Reese has repeatedly said that she has no animosity toward Caitlin Clark and the well-deserved attention she gets her way, but just wants fans to appreciate the group as a whole.
It was an impressive start for Reese – and his new team.
“We have a lot of personality,” Reese said. “It starts with my coaches giving us time off. That’s the advantage of not being in college anymore – being able to have as much free time as possible, maximizing your 24 hours.”
The spotlight will likely be as bright as it has been this season for the Sky (3-3) when they travel to Indiana on Saturday to play Clark and the Fever (1-8) on ESPN. It will be the first professional meeting between Reese and his old college rival Clark, the No. 1 draft pick.
It will also be big for the Sky, as 6-foot-10 Kamilla Cardoso looks set to make his regular-season debut against Indiana. The center who led undefeated South Carolina to its third NCAA championship will likely return to the lineup after a preseason shoulder injury.
The Sky announced he would miss at least a month after getting injured against Minnesota on May 3. Cardoso revealed in a recent Instagram Live that he has his eyes on Indiana’s home opener.
“When you talk about Kamilla, she’s different,” said first-year Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon. “She can play a lot of different ways. We will have the opportunity to have several different offensive sets because she is part of that.”
Sky is excited to see what Cardoso and Reese can do together on the court.
Chicago hired Weatherspoon as head coach in mid-October and promoted Jeff Pagliocca to general manager nearly three weeks later. The new regime did what it could to put itself in a position to summon the first instance duo.
The Sky traded 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury for four draft picks, including this year’s third pick, in early February. The Sky acquired the eighth pick two weeks after Los Angeles and then traded a spot with Minnesota.
Reese’s early returns were encouraging.
The three-time All-American who starred at Maryland and led LSU to the 2023 NCAA championship is playing as well as any rookie. She is second behind Clark in scoring at 11 points per game and best in rebounding at 8.2.
Reese was the first rookie in franchise history to score 10 or more points in her first five games, a streak that ended when she scored six on Thursday in an 83-73 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. And she’s averaging a league-best 4.5 offensive rebounds.
While Sky clearly has room to grow, for now they are enjoying the momentum and some of the perks that come with it. None more so than Reese.
She celebrated her 22nd birthday among the stars of the Met Gala.
Reese graduated from college, was invited to appear on stage with some teammates at rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s concert in Chicago, and was announced as co-owner of a new professional women’s soccer team. At the show, Reese insisted that her bandmates come on stage with her. And it was an experience that Dana Evans, Diamond DeShields, Michaela Onyenwere and Isabelle Harrison won’t forget.
“I actually love it,” said Weatherspoon, a Naismith Hall of Fame member who was known for basking in the spotlight as a player in New York. “I love seeing them relaxing away from the game and enjoying something different – and enjoying the people who really love them. Being on stage at a show is incredible. That’s the love people have for them and they’re showing it.”
The Sky’s home opener drew a sold-out crowd of 9,025 at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop, about five miles from the home of the NBA’s Bulls and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. And players are feeling the buzz.
“I continue to see progression,” Evans said. “I continue to see the steps needed to get to where we want to be, but I feel like we are heading in the right direction. Let’s be patient and make the most of what we have now. But I feel like one day the Chicago Sky will play at the United Center. I feel like this will be even better for women’s basketball, just bring in more fans too.”
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