The Chicago Sky suffered their sixth loss of the season at the hands of the New York Liberty on Tuesday, as Sabrina Ionescu and her teammates bested them by a lopsided 19-point margin. Angel Reese scored 17 points in 31 minutes of play, adding 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Despite her consistent performance, she has recently received a significant amount of hate and has often been the target of unnecessary criticism. In response, Ariel Atkins delivered a strong post-game statement. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo applauded her actions on X, saying, "That’s a great teammate right thereð¯ðªð¾".
"Any amount of (expletive) that she gets on a day-to-day, she still shows up," Atkins said post-game. "So whatever questions y'all got like about our team, basketball-wise, we appreciate it."
"But all the other nonsense, like, is she relevant? Like we're here to play basketball and we do know, we're having a hard time right now. At the end of the day, she is just a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace. Her crown is heavy." She added.
Angel Reese
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) warms up.
© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Reese recently became the fastest player in league history to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds. She was honored as BET’s Sportswoman of the Year for her outstanding performance in basketball.
“She has to build the wall, she has to have the wall. Because if she doesn’t, people will break her down. Not only because of the way she looks, but because of the way she carries herself," Atkins continued.
"She doesn’t just walk around acting like ‘I’m this’; she knows who she is, and we ain’t gonna break her down for that.”