CHICAGO — Twenty-three days ago, Angel Reese was still a member of the Chicago Sky. On Wednesday night, she was playing against them. Most preseason games pass without fanfare, but there was a large and enthusiastic crowd inside Wintrust Arena for Reese’s return to Chicago, which doubled as her unofficial debut with the Atlanta Dream after a stunning April 6 trade. Reese finished with eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in 13 minutes in the Dream’s 87-78 victory, but the result hardly mattered. This was a night for Sky fans to pay their respects to their former star, and for Reese to close a chapter of her career. “Angel, when you’re back in Chicago we love you!” read one fan’s sign. There were other signs sharing the same sentiment, and dozens of Reese jerseys and shirts scattered throughout the crowd. One kid was even rocking a Washington Wizards jersey bearing Reese’s brother Julian’s number 15.
At the first timeout, the Sky played a tribute video for Reese on the jumbotron, which drew a standing ovation. “Just being grateful for my opportunities that I did have here my first two years, a lot of positives,” Reese said. “The fans came out and showed a lot of support for both teams. I’m really happy and grateful, and happy to be here with Atlanta now.”
After the final buzzer, Reese shared a hug with Sky coach Tyler Marsh on the court and waved to the crowd as she made her way to the visitors’ locker room for the first time.
“It was honestly the first time seeing her since the trade, so I was just telling her to ‘go be great, go kill it,'” Marsh said. “She’s with a championship-caliber team, so you saw some of her talents and things that she can do with them tonight. She fits in perfectly and she’ll be great.”Reese, the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, spent her first two seasons with the Sky. She quickly established herself as the best rebounder in the league — her 13.1 rebounds per game as a rookie remain a league record — and the face of the franchise. But while Reese was an All-Star in each of her first two seasons, the Sky went a combined 23-61 and missed the playoffs in both seasons.
Why Angel Reese trade is great for her, the Dream, the WNBA… and her rivalry with Caitlin Clark
Lindsay Gibbs
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2026-04-30 04:08:53
