Chicago Sky Provides Update On Angel Reese After Being Torched By Fans For Mid-Season Suspension

In the latest twist in the ongoing saga between the Chicago Sky and its star player, the team has announced that Angel Reese will not conduct a 2025 exit interview.

The majority of the Sky's roster have completed their exit interviews, including the team's head coach, Tyler Marsh, and general manager, Jeff Pagliocca.

The update comes just two weeks after the Sky sparked widespread outrage among WNBA fans for suspending Angel Reese after she made comments the team deemed "detrimental."

According to several sources close to the Chicago Sky, including Annie Costabile from Front Office Sports, the team announced on Monday, September 22, that Reese, along with Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins, would no longer conduct exit interviews.

The team had previously stated that the three athletes would hold their exit interviews at a later date, as they were unavailable when the rest of the team participated.

The decision to cancel Reese's exit interview is particularly noteworthy, as it comes on the heels of the fierce backlash the Sky faced for suspending its star player.

As previously reported by The Blast, Reese sparked a firestorm in early September when she told the Chicago Tribune about the changes she expects from the Sky organization.

"I am very vocal about what we need and what I want. I'd like to be here for my career, but if things don't pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what's best for me," she said, later revealing she wouldn't be "settling for the same sh-t we did this year."

"We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That's a non-negotiable for me. I'm willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that's what I'm going to do this offseason," Reese said.

The Sky, however, took issue with her statement and later announced its decision to suspend Reese for the first half of the Sky's game against the Las Vegas Aces on September 7.

The criticism was swift, with users accusing the Sky of engaging in "retaliation" and attempting to publicly humiliate their star player.

One person wrote, "As a season ticket holder for many years, this is disappointing. The organization is a problem. This is the reason players don't want to come play here. The team will never be successful if y'all keep this up. Do better."

"Yeap. Organization is the problem. This is a joke," another posted.

A third user posted, "Public retaliation shows that the organization does not value the safety or well-being of any of their members. Every member of this organization is no longer safe in this environment."

In the wake of the suspension, passionate fans continued to blast the organization online and in person, with some attendees chanting for the general manager to be fired during the team's final game of the season.

According to ESPN, Pagliocca called the comments "hard to hear," but expressed his commitment to the betterment of the team.

"I'm appreciative that we have passionate fans that want to see winning," Pagliocca said. "We feel the same. And I know I have full support from ownership. We have great conversations. There's a lot of mutual respect there. I have all the respect in the world for Tyler. I think he's the guy for the job."

He later addressed Reese's future with the team, saying the 6'3" power forward is part of the roster "until I hear differently."

He added, "Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who's had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago. Obviously, we went through what we did. I feel like we closed the chapter on it. She spoke to her teammates. She spoke publicly. We moved on as a team. She's a special player. And I have good conversations with Angel daily, with her team daily. They're constant, and they're productive."

Despite the team drama, Reese has plenty to celebrate, including her debut signature sneaker, the Angel Reese 1, flying off shelves within minutes of its launch.

The LSU alum reflected on the special moment and her collaboration with Reebok in an emotional post on Instagram after the shoe launched on September 18, calling it a "dream turned reality."

"I can't even put into words how PROUD I am of this moment, how THANKFUL I am for the journey, and how GRATEFUL I am for every single person who has supported me along the way. 23 years old… and I just dropped my very first signature shoe. WOW," she said, later calling the design a "piece of my story, my grind, and my growth."