Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese expressed frustration with her team's performance this season, demanding that the franchise acquire "great players" during the offseason, or she may consider leaving.
The threat comes amidst a dreadful season in Chicago, which sees them sitting near the bottom of the standings with a 10-30 record. This was followed by a nearly identical rookie season for Reese, in which the club started fairly competitive, but then crashed and burned to a 13-27 record.
The polarizing star really laid into the franchise in an interview with the Chicago Tribune .
"I'm not settling for the same (expletive) we did this year," Reese told the outlet. "We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That's a nonnegotiable for me."
The league's leading rebounder insists she's not placing the entire onus on the club. She, too, will do anything it takes to get better players to join her.
"I'm willing and wanting to play with the best," Reese continued. "And however I can help to get the best here, that's what I'm going to do this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best, because we can't settle for what we have this year."
As if those comments weren't scathing enough – albeit understandable – Reese continued the tirade during her interview, suggesting the Chicago Sky need to bow to her whim.
"I am very vocal about what we need and what I want," Reese said. "I'd like to be here for my career, but if things don't pan out, obviously, I might have to move in a different direction and do what's best for me."
Things got worse.
Reese suggested that one of the team's biggest free agent signings this past season, Courtney Vandersloot , was too old to come back from an ACL injury earlier in the year.
"We can't rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she's at," Reese critiqued. "I know she'll be a great asset for us, but we can't rely on that. We need somebody, probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who's been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before."
Talk about selling out your teammates. And your team.
RELATED: Caitlin Clark Responds to Alleged Fan Racism Towards Angel Reese
Angel Reese's commentary is wildly inappropriate as the season is ongoing. The Sky still has four games left on the schedule. And while they won't be competing for any playoff spots or any meaningful prize, her teammates will not likely be motivated to play with Reese after she said the roster is terrible and/or old.
The two-time WNBA All-Star seemed to recognize the mistake, apologizing to her teammates after a win over the Connecticut Sun . Still, she blamed the newspaper for allegedly taking her direct quotes out of context.
"I probably am frustrated [with] myself right now," Reese said in a postgame news conference. "I think the language is taken out of context. I really didn't intentionally mean to put down my teammates, because they've been through this with me throughout the whole year."
"So, I want to apologize to my teammates, which I already have about the article and how it was misconstrued about what was said. And I just have to be better with my language," she added. "Because I know it's not the message, it's the messenger."
Even in her apology, Reese can't take responsibility for her own mistakes. Maybe it's not her teammates that are the problem. Maybe her selfish ways are actually dragging the Sky down.
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