Angel Reese grateful for support from WNBA and Chicago Sky
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Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever meet at mid court prior to tipoff.
PHOTO: AFP
CHICAGO – Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese thanked the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and her team for their support, amid an investigation into verbal abuse directed at the 23-year-old during the May 17 loss to the Indiana Fever.
Reese was praised on May 20 by coach Tyler Marsh for her handling of the incident, adding that the team will continue to be there for the second-year star.
“Obviously, it’s tough,” Reese said. “But I think I have a great support system. I’m loved by so many people and obviously, in the moment, it is hard to hear. But my support system is great.
“I’ve gone through so many different things in the past couple of years in my life, but I think just having the support and this love, and being a part of an organisation that really supports me and loves me is something I just couldn’t imagine not being a part of.”
The league launched an investigation after social media users alleged that the ABC/ESPN broadcast of the game in Indianapolis picked up the incident in question.
One video showed a male fan – wearing a red replica Caitlin Clark jersey with matching shorts – sitting courtside and making high-pitched noises while Reese shot a free throw with 4min 38sec left in the third quarter.
Fever star Clark said that she did not personally hear any hateful comments from fans.
“It’s super loud in here. I didn’t hear anything, I think that’s why they’re doing the investigation, that’s why they’re looking into it,” she said.
“That doesn’t mean that nothing happened. You just trust the league’s investigation, and I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.
“There’s no place for that in our game, there’s no place for that in society. We certainly want every person that comes into our arena, whether player, whether fan, to have a great experience.”
On May 18, the WNBA released a statement saying that it was “aware of the allegations” and was looking into the matter.
Marsh said the Sky will stand behind Reese while shifting the focus to returning to the court on May 22 to face the New York Liberty.
“I mean, for her, it’s about basketball, so I think that’s where her mind is at,” he said.
“And for us, we want to be as locked in as possible to our game plan and what we want to do moving forward into Thursday.
“I mean Angel’s a winner. Angel’s a competitor. And she wants to be there for her teammates and we’re certainly there for her as well.”
The clash between the two teams drew an average of 2.7 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched WNBA regular-season contest in 25 years, per Sports Media Watch.
The game, which peaked at 3.1 million viewers, drew the league’s second-largest average audience for any event – save for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game (3.44 million).
It was the largest regular-season audience since Memorial Day 2000. REUTERS
