WNBA player Angel Reese, the rookie forward for the Chicago Sky and a frequent detractor of Caitlin Clark, the college women basketball sensation now playing in the WNBA and driving much attention to it, was recently ejected from a WNBA over how she was behaving toward an official during the game. That happened on Tuesday, June 4.
The game was played between the Chicago Sky, Reese’s team, and the New York Liberty. The Sky lost the game handily, losing 88-75. That crushing loss came alongside Reese getting ejected from the game during the fourth quarter, getting into an interaction with a referee that turned into a technical foul. As it was her second such foul in the game, she was ejected with just 2:31 remaining in the game.
According to ESPN, which reported on the incident and its aftermath, the ejection of Reese from the game left her coach and teammates confused, as it was unclear to them for what she had been ejected. Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon, commenting on the matter, said, “I tried to get an explanation. I did not.” She added, “I don’t know to this moment what has happened.”
However, after the game, official Maj Forsberg said that the technical foul for which Reese was ejected came from her behavior toward officials during the game. Fosberg said that Reese was “disrespectfully addressing” the official and “waving her hand in dismissal.”
One of her fellow teammates on the Sky, Marina Mabrey, supported the officials after the game, saying, “She got two techs, she said something to the ref.” Mabrey added, “Whatever he felt like was the correct call is what he made. It’s more about composure for us in our young years in the WNBA. You’ve got to get to know refs and how they respond to things.”
The incident came after the now-viral and infamous incident in which Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter attacked Indiana’s Caitlin Clark, shoulder-checking her from behind without cause and knocking her to the ground. After the foul, which was later upgraded because of how indefensible it was, Reese was fined for violating the league’s media policy with her defense of Carter despite not being made available to media.
That attack and Clark’s general likeability compared to many other members of the league came back up on X after Reese was ejected from the game, with one account on X posting the clip of Reese getting ejected and, comparing her to Clark, said, “Angel Reese shot 3-12 and got ejected lmao can we stop the face of the league talks now.”
Watch the ejection here:
After the attack on Clarky, the Sky’s coach said, “Physical play, intensity, and a competitive spirit are hallmarks of Chicago Sky basketball. Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are. Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this as we all will. As a team, we will grow together and continue to work hard to display strong leadership and set a positive example for our competitors, fans, and partners.”
Featured image credit: By John Mac – https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmac612/53698216072/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=148078674
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