'Let's be real': Did Angel Reese fake her season-ending injury?

Angel Reese became one of the most popular players in the WNBA during her first professional season. However, her rookie season ended prematurely due to injury. We’ll take a look back at the Chicago Sky star’s first WNBA campaign, and where things will go from here as she recovers. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

In a September 6 game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Reese finished an and-1 play strong, absorbing contact on her way to the rim. She fell backward on her hands, and hurt her wrist. The play didn’t seem that bad at the time, as Reese did not grimace or appeal to be in major discomfort.

On social media, Reese said “I fell on my hand when I got the and-1, when I fell back on my hand, I got a small crack in my bone.”

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Reese continued, “Basically, the doctors told me that I could either not get surgery or have surgery. The risk of not having surgery was I could literally have arthritis at 22 years old. That wasn’t an option.”

Reese said, “The bone could literally crack and completely shatter. Right now, it’s like a hairline (fracture). They’re going to put a small screw in it. And I wasn’t going for it getting any bigger.”

Even though the play didn’t look that serious, Reese continued to convey the severity of her injury. “Long term, I literally could have not played anymore because this is a very hard place to heal because the blood flow is little to none,” she said as she pointed to her right wrist.

It’s hard to think about Angel Reese without bringing up fellow rookie Caitlin Clark from the Indiana Fever. Clark told ESPN, “It’s definitely sad when you see anyone go down with an injury, especially people that you came into the league with. You want to see her finish out this year. Obviously, she’s had a historic year, and she’s done some incredible things.”

Because of the seemingly innocuous nature of her fall against the Sparks, some believed that Reese may not have truly been injured. Sports Illustrated highlighted the doubt that others had, to which Reese responded, “Did I fake an injury? Let’s be real. I have literally played with my ankle like a golf ball when we played against Iowa… You know I’m hurt when I can’t play.”

Reese said that her recovery will involve her being in a hard cast for four weeks. “During that time I’ll just be lifting, running, conditioning, shooting with my off hand, dribbling and doing stuff with my off hand, working on my nutrition. I’ll be modeling still, podcasting still, being a baddie still…and supporting my teammates.”

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WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier launched a three-on-three basketball league that will take place from January 2025 to March 2025, during the WNBA offseason. Reese was scheduled to play, and still intends to. She wrote on social media, “And Unrivaled league, see you soon!”

True to her word, Reese has been an active participant on the bench for the Sky down the stretch of the WNBA season. She hasn’t let her injury stop her from doing what it takes off the floor to help Chicago win.

During a late-season game against the Phoenix Mercury, Reese was seen walking up to Chicago head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, communicating something in an animated fashion. Reese was holding a paper in her hand while speaking that was fluttering notably as she tried to get her point across.

Weatherspoon responded to Reese’s comments but covered her mouth with a piece of paper of her own, likely not wanting to fan the flames of speculation with regard to what was being discussed.

Unfortunately, Reese being out of the lineup has cost her the chance to set a WNBA record. When she went out, she had set the mark for most rebounds in a single season. However, in the time that she has been injured, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson had surpassed her mark, leaving the former WNBA MVP with the mark.

While the rebounds record would have been nice for Reese to claim, she’s still had a tremendous season. She was a virtual lock to get a double-double in every game she played, and opponents had a difficult time keeping her off the glass.

Based on her prodigious rebounding as a rookie, it’s not unfathomable to think that Reese could set career records in boards throughout her WNBA career if she remains healthy.

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