After the Sky beat an uncharacteristically turnover-heavy Liberty team at Barclays Center on Thursday night, Angel Reese took to social media to celebrate her team’s victory over the 2023 WNBA Finals runner-up.
At the same time, she appeared to criticize the WNBA and possibly Fever star Caitlin Clark for the visibility, or lack thereof, of teams and players within the league.
“And it’s not the fault of one player on a charter flight, it’s the result of winning in a congested area. #SKYTOWN.” Reese wrote to X. after the Sky won 90-81.
This came after she made similar comments to reporters on Thursday about the growth of women’s football.
“This isn’t just about one person, I don’t think people realize that. [because] People say it only takes one person to change the game.” Rees told reporters Thursday.“All of us, me, Camila [Cardoso]Cameron is there [Brink]Recare [Jackson]We have a lot of great players and it’s been a long time coming, but we got to see our impact change the game.
“It’s a great thing for all of us, so we’re going to keep doing it.”
Eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard was one of many X cast members who responded to Reese’s words, suggesting he focus on the issue of the charter plane rather than criticizing Clark.
“It’s amazing to see WNBA arenas being sold out! Let’s talk about that!” He wrote:
This isn’t the first time Reese has expressed frustration with the attention given to Clark and the Fever by both the league and the sports media, his former college rivals.
“Get Nika a visa now. Charter flights are on their way. Give all teams the same promotion, not just one team. No online bullying whatsoever. And the Chicago Sky has arrived and continues to grow!” Reese posted on Tuesday. Croatia-born guard Nika Muhl missed the Storm’s first four games while waiting for his work visa to be approved.
Clark, who had a record-breaking collegiate career, has been a big factor in the rapid rise of women’s basketball following the NCAA tournament in March.
Her star continues to grow, having recently signed a multi-year contract with Wilson and helping the Fever play 36 of their 40 games on national television throughout the regular season.
But Reese has repeatedly urged fans and media to pay attention to other players and teams as well.
She also blames the league for a lack of charter flights. The Sky had no charter flights at the start of the 2024 WNBA season, while the Clarks, Fever and Lynx were the first two teams to fly charters to their opening games in Connecticut and Seattle, respectively.
The WNBA said it would “phase in” charter flights and begin full planning “as soon as we have aircraft in place.”
“I am praying this is one of the last commercial flights the Chicago Sky fly,” Reese wrote on her Instagram Story on May 14 while on a commercial flight en route to Dallas for the Sky’s season opener. According to TMZ Sports.
Reese, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft in April, is averaging 12 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in three games for the Sky (2-1) so far this season.
She recorded a professional career-high 13 points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes against the Liberty on Thursday, the most time she has played on the court in a WNBA game.
