Angel Reese has Olympic goals on her mind
The Sky play their last game of the first half of the season Tuesday against the Aces.
After which, most players will be vacationing during the nearly monthlong hiatus from the WNBA season for the Olympic break. Others, such as Angel Reese, are adding a bit of work into the mix. She isn’t an Olympian, but that isn’t stopping her from heading to Paris later this month.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to see a couple of games while I’m out there,” Reese said. “Being able to experience that, so hopefully when 2028 comes, I can be there and experience that and not just be watching.”
In the midst of her double-double streak, Reese reflected on future goals. Being an Olympian was one she proudly shared with the media after the Sky’s three-game road trip last week.
“I want to be an Olympian by 2028,” Reese said. “I think I have time to continue to grow. Being where I am right now — we know this team right now is going to go and represent our country — but I want to be part of that. I take pride in being from the United States and wearing those three letters across your chest.”
Reese has been competing for the United States since 2017, when she was a U16 national-team trials participant. She was a finalist on the 2018 and 2019 U17 and U19 World Cup teams. In 2021, she participated in the Women’s U19 World Cup team trials.
In 2023, she was named to the USA Women’s AmeriCup team, which won a silver medal. She averaged 8.3 points and led the team with 11.1 rebounds per game.
“She wants to get better in every aspect of the game,” Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “She looks at players she admires, and she wants to take things from them and add to her game. She’s always doing that. Having conversations with those players means a lot in how to get it done. The whys behind it. If that’s her goal, we’re going to push her toward it.”
Reese is the fourth rookie in Sky history to be named an All-Star. She’ll compete in the game next week in Phoenix alongside fellow rookie Caitlin Clark of the Fever.
She got candid in an interview on ESPN this week, predicting that the two will share the court as All-Stars for years to come and in 2028.
“We’re going to be playing together for a while,” Reese said. “So this is not going to be the [last] time. I know we’ll be All-Stars again. Hopefully, in 2028, we’ll be Olympians together.”
Unrivaled
Two-time MVP Breanna Stewart and Olympic gold medalist Napheesa Collier’s 3-on-3 league added another player Thursday.
Aces guard Chelsea Gray was announced as the first player to officially join the league aside from Stewart and Collier. The league is expected to begin play in January. Sparks forward Dearica Hamby has not been formally announced as a participant by the league itself, but she told the Sun-Times in May that she received an official offer.
Stewart and Collier said players in the league — which was founded to provide an option other than playing overseas during the WNBA offseason — will earn six-figure salaries and have an equity stake in the league.
This and that
- General manager Jeff Pagliocca hasn’t added to the roster since waiving guard Kysre Gondrezick at the end of June. The Sky will add a player using a seven-day contract before the start of the second half of the regular season Aug. 15, then look to make a trade ahead of the deadline Aug. 20.
- Since being inserted into the Sky’s starting lineup, Chennedy Carter is third in the league in points per game, averaging 21.6, and is shooting 52.6% from the field.