Angel Reese, a player for the Chicago Sky, was benched for the first time in her WNBA career just days after receiving a penalty for failing to engage in mandatory media.
The forward was benched after picking up two technical fouls in the fourth quarter of The Sky’s game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday, June 4.
The 22-year-old was allegedly dismissively waving her hands at the official and “arguing” with him about his decision to remove her.
There was much debate over the referee’s decision to remove her from the game for what was deemed to be “disrespect.”
During the game, Marina Mabrey from The Sky told the journalists: “She got two techs; she said something to the ref. He took whatever action he believed to be the best one. At the start of our WNBA career, it was more important for us to keep our cool. You have to get acquainted with referees and how they handle different circumstances.
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Technical fouls are called for instructional purposes when rules are broken but don’t always lead to player contact.
A teammate, coach, or athlete may be sent off for “unsportsmanlike behavior.”
Which includes, among other things, arguing with an official or taunting an opponent.
Following the game, a large number of individuals, including Chicago Bulls player Lonzo Ball, protested Reese’s removal.
The former LSU star decided against making media appearances once more, which could lead to further sanctions for the Chicago Sky as well as her.
Chennedy Carter hit Caitlin Clark with a hip-check on Saturday, June 1, which caused the Sky to lose their game against the Indiana Fever.
Since he declined to comment on the result, Reese was fined $1,000 for missing the post-game press conference, and the Sky was penalized $5,000 for not enforcing the rule.
Luckily, Ball offered to pay for her weight, so she might not even have to spend a penny.
Ball posted on X, saying, “Ref that threw out @Reese10Angel is weak, btw.” “You know who you are, Angel—keep your money.”
“Thank you, gang,” Reese replied, emoji-ing a heart and sobbing.
Reese discussed her teammate’s harsh penalty on Clark with WGN News on Monday, June 3. She also said that she is to blame for the current high level of attention being paid to women’s sports.
“I think so many people are watching women’s basketball right now. It all began with the national championship game, and after two years of dealing with it, I realized that, yes, there have undoubtedly been negative things said about me. However, given the state of women’s basketball, I’ll take it. When I look back in twenty years, I’ll think, ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person; it’s because of me too, and I want you to realize that,” she added.
