The Sky’s 2025 season ended about as badly as it could have. Chicago finished the season in twelfth place with a 10-34 record and the possibility of losing their star player. An Angel Reese interview in the Chicago Tribune created quite the drama. Reese shared her frustration with the direction the Sky were moving in, criticizing everything from roster construction to coaching style. As a response, the Sky suspended Reese for half a game. After that, she never suited up again, sitting out the last few games with a back injury.
This, of course, made people wonder how much longer Reese would be with the Sky. She is obviously unhappy with the way the organization is being run and wouldn’t be the first star to leave Chicago because of that. Losing Reese, a two-time All-Star after playing just two seasons, would be a terrible setback for the Sky. This offseason will definitely be interesting for the Sky. Even if Reese doesn’t ask for a trade, the organization is running out of time to make Chicago a place she will want to play in for the long term.
Reese’s frustration with the front office’s decision-making goes back to last September. The 2024 season wasn’t a bad way for Reese to start off her career. She was an All-Star, the Sky won 13 games and were in the running for the final playoff spot for a while, and Reese immediately connected with her head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. Then, the Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season and replaced her with Tyler Marsh—a decision that didn’t lead to much team success and upset the Sky’s biggest star.
Reese kicked off season two of her podcast, Unapologetically Angel, by evaluating her sophomore season. While doing that, she reminded everyone of her special relationship with Weatherspoon. After her comments, one can’t help but wonder: would Reese still be as unhappy with the Sky as she is now if Weatherspoon had gotten another chance?
Reese is still close with Weatherspoon
Weatherspoon may not be Reese’s coach in Chicago anymore, but that didn’t stop the two from evaluating Reese’s games together. “T-Spoon [Teresa Weatherspoon] was my backbone,” Reese said when she opened the episode by thanking everyone who had helped her get through her sophomore season. “I talked to her every single day, after every single game. We watched film. She sent me clips.”
Later, Reese added that the best advice she had gotten all season had also come from her former coach. “She told me to never let anybody take my joy,” Reese said. “She’s been through it. She’s been through it all. So, that’s someone I can say that’s always been in my corner through the ups and downs.”
Weatherspoon may not have had much coaching experience in the WNBA—she spent several years as the head coach of Louisiana Tech’s basketball team and was an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Sky—but she played in the W for eight seasons and obviously knew how to connect with young players. Firing her after just one season was premature, especially considering that hiring another coach didn’t improve the Sky’s record. Even though, to be fair, injuries definitely played into Chicago’s bad 2025 season, and that isn’t something Marsh could control. Losing Vandersloot completely upset the Sky’s vision for the 2025 season.