Angel Reese Gets Strong Message From Teammate Who Temporarily Left Chicago Sky
Angel Reese Gets Strong Message From Teammate Who Temporarily Left Chicago Sky originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Angel Reese stole the show yet again for the Chicago Sky on Sunday as she led her team to a much-needed 92-85 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena.
Advertisement
Reese went off for a monster 24-point, 16-rebound double-double, which also marked her fourth consecutive game with at least 15 boards. For good measure, the former LSU star also added seven assists, a steal and two blocks to round out another all-around performance.
After the win, the Sky announced Reese as the Player of the Game. Kamilla Cardoso, who is currently away from the team on international duty, caught wind of the post, and the Chicago center just had to send a shoutout to her teammate.
"ANGEL MF REESE!!" Cardoso posted on Instagram.
Sunday marked Cardoso's second missed game for the Sky after temporarily stepping away from the team to represent Brazil in the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile. In a previous statement, Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh revealed that they don't expect Cardoso back until July 6th.
Advertisement
It has been Reese who has taken on much of the workload for the Sky's frontcourt amid Cardoso's absence, and the former proved on Sunday that she is very much capable of doing so.
Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso (10) during a game.Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Chicago's next game is on July 6 against the Minnesota Lynx, and it remains to be seen if Cardoso will be able to suit up for that one.
Sunday's victory saw the Sky improve to 5-11 on the season, overtaking the Sparks for the No. 10 spot in the league.
Related: Angel Reese Sends Urgent Message on Saturday
Related: Chicago Sky Crown Angel Reese After Strong Play
Related: Angel Reese Issues Serious Message to Her Brother After Major Career News
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
16 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Fever using Commissioner's Cup final to gauge identity. Money prize is a nice carrot, too
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White can add another first-time achievement to her list Tuesday when her team plays the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final. White was part of the first Purdue women's basketball national championship team, a member of the inaugural Fever team and helped lead Indiana to its only WNBA championship as an assistant coach in 2012. 'Anytime you get to be part of a first and for me at various levels… it's special,' White said. The Fever understand the magnitude of Tuesday's contest and its implication as it pertains to expanding Indiana's trophy case. But, there's something more pressing on their conscience: the $500,000 winning prize. 'I think the money has been more top of the mind for them than anything else,' White said. White added Tuesday's final, which doesn't count toward the regular-season win-loss record, offers the Fever another opportunity to learn and grow. The Fever are 8-8 and eighth in league standings. The Lynx, the defending Commissioner Cup champions, boast a WNBA-best 14-2 record. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier leads the league in scoring with 24.4 points per game and is third in rebounding with 8.5 per game. It's unknown whether the Fever will have Caitlin Clark against Minnesota. Clark is suffering from a left groin injury and told reporters after Sunday's practice she is 'day-to-day from here on out.' Clark, who is averaging 18.2 points and 8.9 assists per game, has missed the Fever's past two games due to injury. Clark also missed five games earlier this season with a left quad strain. The Fever are 3-4 this season without Clark. 'Nobody said this season was going to be perfect for us. There's always going to be ups and downs, and I think as we get moving here through All-Star, these are the moments we're going to be able to look back on and hopefully be able to give a lot of credit to for certain situations that we were in,' Clark said. 'Injuries or coaches not being here for a couple of games, everyone has been through a little bit of adversity here. Just giving our group credit for being able to stick together and know that whatever is in our locker room is really all we need to go out there and win." Clark praised her teammates for their resilience amid hardship. 'Honestly, I'm really proud of our group every single day; we come back with the same energy, the same attitude, and wanting to get better,' Clark said. 'Being in situations that have been tough and responding really well every single time is what we could always fall back on.' The Fever responded well Friday against the Dallas Wings after nearly squandering another double-digit second-half lead. Prior to their matchup against the Wings, Indiana had lost three of its past five games, despite holding a double-digit lead in the final two periods. The Lynx average 20.6 points in the fourth quarter this season, fifth best in the league. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell acknowledged Minnesota's prowess on both ends of the floor and stressed the importance of the Fever preparing intentionally. 'Everything is important up until it tips off that night,' Mitchell said. Clark added it's a 'huge opportunity' for the Fever to play against the team that fell one game short of a WNBA title last season. While the trophy and money surely make the Commissioner's Cup final special, there's more as to why this isn't just a regular game in July. The previous three Commissioner Cup winners made the WNBA finals the year they won the in-season tournament. For Mitchell, Tuesday's contest serves as a test to see if Indiana is capable of a deep run into October. '(This game is) everything, and when I say everything as far as our culture and everything we've established over the course of this season and preseason," Mitchell said. "It's a gut check to see where we are and what we need and how we need to be to make a playoff run.' Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. The Lynx will host Tuesday's Commissioner Cup championship against the Fever at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The Commissioner's Cup is the WNBA's in-season tournament, pitting the Eastern and Western Conferences against each other. Teams played five games against different conference opponents, and those games — which are also a part of the regular season — ran from June 3-17. Eastern Conference teams included the Atlanta Dream, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics. Western Conference Teams were the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, and Las Vegas Aces. The Eastern Conference teams played five games as part of cup play, but the Western Conference teams, with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, played six games in cup play. The two teams with the best cup play in their respective conferences play in the Commissioner's Cup final, which will be on July 1. In this case, the Fever and the Lynx. This game does not count toward the regular-season win-loss record.
UPI
34 minutes ago
- UPI
Angel Reese sets WNBA rebounds mark, offense 'finally coming through'
June 30 (UPI) -- Angel Reese continues to pull down rebounds at a WNBA record rate, but says she also is recovered from a "terrible" offensive start and is "finally coming through" for the Chicago Sky. Reese made the comments in her postgame news conference after totaling a game-high 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal in a 92-85 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday in Los Angeles. "I went through a storm for the first eight games where I couldn't finish and it was frustrating," Reese said. "But I trusted my work and my teammates trusted my work. "I'm finally coming through and finally finishing efficiently and it's leading to wins for us." With her 16 rebounds, Reese became the first player in WNBA history to collect at least 15 rebounds in four consecutive games. Her record rebounding streak started June 22, with a 19-board performance. She followed that game with 17- and 18-rebound efforts before setting a new WNBA record against the Sparks. Reese scored 18 points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win. She went 10 of 19 from the floor. The All-Star forward went just 21 of 68 from the floor through her first seven games this season, making 30.9% of her attempts. Reese is shooting 47.1% (48 of 102) over nine appearances since then. She shot at a 48.9% clip over her last three starts. The Sky went 2-5 during Reese's seven-game slump, when she averaged 9.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. They are 3-4 over her last seven games, when she averaged 15.1 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks. "I struggled in the first eight or nine games in not being where I should have been," Reese said. "Obviously, it happens. I was very hard on myself, tough conversations with myself, tough conversations with people that kept it real with me in telling me what I can get to work on and need to be better at and also getting into a new role. "This is the first time in a long time I'm being a point guard and being a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and guarding all five positions too. Just trying to come out with that, but I trust my work. I have great conversations with [WNBA legend] Lisa Leslie, talk to [former Sky coach] Teresa Weatherspoon every day. Just being able to have great people in my corner that really push me and know my potential." The Sky trailed by as many as seven points in the third quarter before rallying to earn their second win in three games. They outshot the Sparks 48.5% to 41.7%, including a 42.3% to 32.1% edge in 3-point shooting. Veteran guard Ariel Atkins totaled 20 points in the victory. Fellow guards Kia Nurse and Rachel Banham and forward/center Elizabeth Williams chipped in 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Sky. Reese, whose 24 points were the second-most scored Sunday by any WNBA player, is now averaging 12.4 points and a WNBA-high 12.6 rebounds per game this season. She made 40.6% of her shots through her first 16 appearances of 2025, an improvement from her .391 shooting percentage as a rookie. "I'm just trusting my work," Reese said. "I put my head down every day and just grind. That's all I do. I don't do it for cameras. I don't do it for publicity. I don't post me in the gym and I'm not going to. I put my head down every day and work. I'm very versatile in what I do on and off the court and I prioritize when I'm at work. When I'm at work it's time for work. "I come here every day and try to do everything for my teammates. ... It means a lot to me to be named with such great players and just continue to know I can be better every day and continue to be great." The Sky (5-11), who sit in 10th place in the WNBA standings, will take on the first-place Minnesota Lynx (14-2) at 7 p.m. EDT Sunday in Minneapolis.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about Pius Suter's market, Canucks' approach to free agency
The Vancouver Canucks spent Sunday filling out their roster for development camp, and regrouping after the NHL Draft. The club was thrilled with its 2025 draft class, as most teams are in the immediate aftermath. In particular, the Canucks were happy with the outcome from their process. They're confident that first-round pick Braeden Cootes is a special person, with an opportunity to be an organizational fixture for years to come. There is also excitement about second-round selection Aleksei Medvedev, the London Knights netminder who goaltending scout Ian Clark insisted on throughout the scouting process. Advertisement As the attention turns to the upcoming free-agent frenzy, there is some frustration that the Canucks have been unable to meaningfully tend to their significant short-term needs at centre to this point. Vancouver acquired winger Evander Kane last week to add some heaviness and skill to the forward group, but there's still a gaping hole in the middle of the top six. The Canucks had an understanding dating back two months that the unrestricted free agent market was unlikely to yield a high-impact forward. Vancouver's hockey operations leadership had also understood that attempting to fill short-term needs on the trade market would represent improving their team 'the hard way.' Aside from a trio of trades for John Gibson, Charlie Coyle and Noah Dobson, there was surprisingly little major player movement over the weekend. Most of the acquisitions fell into the Jordan Spence, Declan Chisholm or Justin Sourdif tier of minor deals. Like the leaguewide cash crunch in the fall of 2020, or the cap crunch conditions that teams operated in throughout the flat cap era, we're now seeing a talent crunch gum up the NHL marketplace. Simply put, there is more available cap space in the system at the moment than there are high-quality unrestricted free agent players on whom to spend it. Teams have enough cap flexibility that, to this point, there's limited external pressure to proactively fix roster problems or to trade NHL-level contributors for cap-neutral asset capital like draft picks or prospects. And given how much market desirability is impacting contractual outcomes, every team is scrambling to identify the players open to being part of their organization. Everyone is terrified of falling too deep into a Chicago or San Jose-like scorched-earth rebuild. As I worked the phones on Sunday to try to get a sense of where the Canucks stood ahead of July 1, the word of the day from the organization was 'caution.' Advertisement The Canucks need to be careful in navigating their way through what remains of the so-called silly season, and balancing their short-term goals with the long-term reality of a franchise that's both in transition and under significant pressure to build momentum next season. Some of the players who will be available could help Vancouver now, but they're unlikely to be especially efficient additions. As much as the Canucks want to improve their roster and try to win now, there's an understanding that overpaying for short-term upgrades could inhibit their ability to make a more impactful move down the line, when the leverage is greater, and the options more impactful. This is the time of year, after all, when mistakes get made. Conscious of that, and the significant pressure the organization is feeling to improve, the Canucks are going to spend the next 48 hours or so trying to be selective. It's fair to be skeptical. It's been well over a decade, after all, since anybody won a cent betting on the Canucks being selective with the long view in mind. Whether they're intent on managing expectations locally, or more actively recalibrating their short-term goals in light of their options and the sky high prices in free agency and on the trade market, that's the balance the Canucks are attempting to judiciously weigh as the clock ticks down toward July 1. Every time I ask my industry contacts about pending unrestricted free agent Pius Suter and what his market value could look like, the number gets a little bit higher. It's like the opposite of Jose Canseco's 40 time. What was $3.2 million ('he could double his salary') at the deadline, rather quickly became '$4 million or more' after Suter's 'ka-ching' goal-scoring run late in the season. Now, over the past two weeks, the conversation has morphed from 'maybe $4.5 million with term,' climbing all the way to between $4.5 million and $5 million, which is the figure an executive on Sunday evening suggested that Suter could realistically land on the open market. And that was before the new Morgan Geekie comparable. Advertisement Clearly, the market has broken heavily in Suter's favour. Not only have centres continued to demand a significant premium on the trade market and at the draft table, but most of the older pivots with name-brand value — Matt Duchene, Claude Giroux, John Tavares, Brock Nelson and Sam Bennett — have already extended with their teams. Outside of Mikael Granlund, Suter is probably the most credible top-six centre option still unsigned as July 1 approaches. It's also worth noting that Suter scored more goals this season (25) than Granlund did (22). The Canucks have remained in contact with Suter's camp throughout this process, but the two sides haven't been grinding away to find common ground. Given Vancouver's inability to land a significant centre upgrade on the trade market during draft weekend, however, Monday is shaping up to be a key day in determining whether or not Suter will ultimately make it to market this week. For the Canucks, it's last call on Suter, and I wouldn't be surprised if Vancouver took one final run at retaining the versatile, productive forward, with an understanding that he's surely gone if he makes it to market on Tuesday. The Canucks have always been big fans of Suter as a player and person. He's earned a significant raise and is coming off a career year. The conversation really centres on that. Was it just a career year, a one-off, or a new level of performance that Suter is likely to be able to sustain? How the Canucks ultimately decide to answer that question will determine their willingness to meet Suter's price at the 11th hour. If I were to handicap this one, it seems more likely than not that Suter will go to market. The door remains open just a crack, however, and I do get the sense that Vancouver will engage Suter's camp one last time on Monday before the door shuts for good. Advertisement By 2 p.m. PT, the Canucks will have to tender qualifying offers to their 10 pending restricted free agents to maintain their right of first refusal. We've already reported that goaltender Nikita Tolopilo will receive a qualifying offer, and there's a variety of higher-profile restricted players like Aatu Räty, Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains who are obvious tap-ins to be qualified before the deadline. However, there are a couple of organizational depth players that the Canucks have wrestled with whether or not to qualify ahead of the deadline. I think we can take that as an indication that at least some of the 10 pending RFAs won't be qualified. Players who aren't qualified will become UFAs when the market opens on Tuesday. There's a tricky balance that the Canucks are going to try to maintain in the days ahead. This is a club that wants to improve short term, of course, they're the Canucks. I have begun to get the sense, though, in talking through offseason planning with team sources, that there's also an increasing internal recognition that this team is in transition. A realization that, perhaps, exercising some patience may be required. That recognition is in obvious tension with the fact that there is a lot of pressure, both in the Vancouver market and structurally on the Canucks, to find a way to take a big swing and connect on landing a difference-maker to improve this team. To excite this market. To convince Quinn Hughes to stay. But the Canucks want to be mindful of not doing something just to do something. Especially if that 'something' costs them an amount or an asset that they would view as reckless. Based on what team sources told The Athletic on Sunday, there appear to be moves that the Canucks could make to improve this team short-term. However, the most worthwhile among those options could cost them a key asset like their 2026 first-round pick, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander or defender Elias Pettersson. Advertisement That's not a price that Vancouver has been willing to pay. I even get the sense that it's a price the Canucks are unlikely to be willing to pay, period, unless the return is genuinely transformative. We'll have to see if the significant pressure and desire to improve wins out over the rational plan to be disciplined. For what it's worth, the Canucks do expect the trade market to shake loose somewhat in the days and weeks ahead, especially as some teams move money around to facilitate major acquisitions. That won't necessarily apply to every team, but management appears to be keeping close tabs on these types of situations in case a scenario presents itself, one that would permit the Canucks to land a short-term, contributing player at a more manageable acquisition price. In the event, which has been more probable than not for weeks, that both Suter and Brock Boeser walk as unrestricted free agents on Tuesday, I'm hearing that the Canucks will be shopping for a centre when the market opens. The Canucks would need to send cap commitments out the door to really get into the bidding on Granlund. While I believe that Vancouver would have some interest in the player, all things being equal, breaking the bank to add him doesn't seem to be an especially probable outcome. Even with a player like Jack Roslovic, a slick-skating, right-handed forward who can play centre and who the Canucks have kicked the tires on in the past, I expect that the market will price out their interest. The Canucks, it seems, are prepared to roll with Filip Chytil and Räty as top-nine centres to open next season, but I'd also look for the team to be linked to names like Radek Faksa. Even assuming Vancouver is able to stay disciplined and focus on the long view, the Canucks will still look to strengthen down the middle this week. They just may be looking somewhat further down their lineup than they had hoped to. (Photo of Pius Suter: Simon Fearn / Imagn Images)
