Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese hasn’t played this month, and she still leads the WNBA in total rebounds. Unfortunately for the Sky, Reese doesn’t have a timeline for return from the lower back injury that she’s been dealing with since late July.
“She wants to be out there. She’s a competitor, she’s fighter, she’s a winner,” Sky head coach Tyler Marsh told reporters Wednesday.
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“So it’s hard for her not to be out there for her teammates, but we want her to be as healthy as possible when she is ready to come back.”
Although the Sky have not shut down Reese for the season, she has not been cleared for basketball activities, according to The Chicago Tribune, which reported Wednesday that the team’s medical staff advised the two-time All-Star not to travel for last Saturday’s road game against the Indiana Fever.
Reese participated in this year’s All-Star Game, but her back injury surfaced on the team’s availability report after she played in Chicago’s first game back from the break on July 22.
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The LSU product missed the next two games before making a one-game return versus the Washington Mystics. She played 32 minutes and pocketed her 17th double-double of the season, recording 22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. But she posted a field goal percentage below 40% for the first time since June, and the Sky suffered a 17-point loss.
Since that July 29 defeat, Reese hasn’t seen the court. And the Sky have gone 1-4, slumping to an 8-23 record. Chicago is second-to-last in the WNBA standings, ahead of only the Connecticut Sun. The Sky are just 1-7 without Reese in the lineup this season and 7-16 with her on the floor in 2025.
Reese is averaging 14.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game during her sophomore season in the W. She’s notably bumped her field goal percentage up to 44.4% — she finished her rookie campaign with a 39.1% clip — and she’s demonstrated improved passing and a 3-point shot that remains a work-in-progress but is more capable than before.
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While the playoffs may not be attainable, the Sky still have an incentive to make a late-season push. After all, the Minnesota Lynx have Chicago’s first-round pick in 2026.
Getting Reese back would help the Sky try to will their way up the league table, except time’s running out. Including Wednesday’s game against the Sun, Chicago has only 13 games remaining in a regular season that ends Sept. 11.
