Ever since her debut in the league, Angel Reese has become a star in the WNBA. The Chicago Sky faced the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday night and the "Chi Barbie" shined on the hardwood despite the disappointing 83-75 loss for her team.
Reese scored 20 points, 10 rebounds and an assist, netting a double-double in her 36 minutes on the court. She topped the charts for her team with only Kamilia Cardoso, Chennedy Carter and Marina Mabrey following her by scoring 10 points each.
After getting criticized for her bad shooting skills, Wednesday's game served as a great example for people who doubted the former LSU star's shooting abilities.
No other Sky player entered double-digit territory except Reese, Cardoso, Mabrey and the controversial Chennedy Carter who netted 10 points, one rebound and three assists coming off the bench tonight.
The game took place at Wintrust Arena, giving the Sky home court advantage, however, the Sun were relentless in their pursuit of victory. The first quarter was a neck-to-neck battle where both teams tried to assert dominance over the other and get control of the game. The Sky succeded in that and outscored the Sun 20-22 as the quarter ended.
However, they struck back in the following two quarters, outscoring the Sky and establishing a lead. The final quarter was filled with lots of pressure as the Chicago Sky rallied a final push, with Angel Reese at the forefront, to try and secure a home victory. However, the Sun held on to their lead till the end and walked out as the victors.
Shaquille O'Neal credits Angel Reese and other stars for helping WNBA get popular
NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal credited Chicago Sky star Angel Reese and other players in the WNBA for the rising popularity of the league. On the latest episode of his podcast "The Big Pod with Shaq", the Hall of Famer pushed a perspective of not forgetting other players' contributions to the league:
"Don't say, 'Oh we getting new sponsorship beacuse of Caitlin [Clark)] No, what about Angel Reese? What about [Kamilla] Cardoso? What about my favorite Kelsey Plum?" Shaq said.
Shaq's co-host Adam Lefkoe, also name-dropped Cameron Brink and A'ja Wilson, highlighting the latter, who has been in incredible scoring form. Shaq argued that the reason for the upset among many WNBA players is that as a player, people don't want to be forgotten.
Lefkoe also explained how Clark's popularity has driven the other stars in the WNBA to flaunt their skills in front of the world. Especially when they are matched up against the Indiana Fever.