The Chicago Sky suffered yet another ugly loss in their WNBA season against the New York Liberty on Tuesday night, falling 85-66 on the road to drop to 2-6 on the year.
The Sky recorded nearly as many turnovers (22) as field goals (28) in a forgettable game that still saw star Angel Reese enjoy an efficient shooting night. Reese went 8 of 13 from the field for 17 points and added 11 rebounds and two steals, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to record 30 career double-doubles (she did it in 42 games).
Yet after her big game, Reese fielded a non-basketball related question in her Sky presser that immediately drew the ire of her teammate, Ariel Atkins.
A reporter asked Reese about the scrutiny she's received online and how she handles the negativity. Reese gave a fairly cookie-cutter answer before Atkins butted in.
"I'm sorry, can I? Can I say something?" Atkins said, interrupting the presser. "This is a 23-year-old kid. And the amount of crap that she gets on a day to day, she still shows up. So whatever questions y'all got, about our team, basketball wise, we appreciate it. But all the other nonsense, it's irrelevant.
"We having a hard time right now at the end of the day. This is a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace... She knows who she is, and we ain't gonna break her down for that. So whatever other questions y'all got, I'm hoping it's just about basketball, maybe a box score question. But the kid's crown is heavy, like respect that."
Ariel Atkins implored the media to ask questions about the game tonight and defended Angel Reese tonight in their postgame together. pic.twitter.com/KFlSQoU1UI
— Natalie Esquire (@natfluential) June 11, 2025
It's beautiful to see Reese's teammate stand up for her like that, especially given that this is Atkins's first year in Chicago. The veteran guard previously played for the Washington Mystics for seven seasons.
Reese has faced a considerable amount of criticism for her poor shooting averages to start the year, but she has consistently served as an invaluable rim defender for the Sky and will be key to the franchise's hopes to turn its 2025-26 season around. Hopefully, Reese can continue to block out the outside noise and keep doing what she does best on the court.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sky Veteran Stood Up for Angel Reese After Reporter’s Non-Basketball Related Question.
