Angel Reese clears up mystery around season-ending injury

Angel Reese shut down speculation that she “faked” her season-ending wrist injury.  The Sky rookie, who injured her wrist in Chicago’s 92-78 victory over the Sparks on Friday, explained she will have optional wrist surgery to repair a small crack in a bone in her wrist Tuesday.  “I fell on my hand when I got the and-one, when I fell back [and] fell on my hand and it is a small crack in my bone,” Reese, the No. 7 overall pick by the Sky in the 2024 WNBA draft, said in a video posted to her TikTok late Sunday night.

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“Basically the doctors told me that I could either not get surgery or have surgery. The risk of not having surgery – I could literally have arthritis at 22 years old. That wasn’t an option.  “The bone could literally crack and completely shatter. Right now, it’s like a hairline… They’re going to put a small screw in it. And I wasn’t going for it getting any bigger.

“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,” the All-Star forward explained while pointing to her wrist, which was wrapped in a black soft cast.  “I’m going to be in a hard cast for four weeks and then I’m going to be in a soft cast for two weeks that Is removable and then I’m back. So, six weeks I’ll be back to doing my own thing, normal life.”

Reese went on to explain that she did not fake her injury, seemingly referring to online speculation.  “Did I fake an injury? Let’s be real. I literally played with my ankle like a literal golf ball when we played against Iowa [in college, when she was at LSU]. Pain, you know I’m hurt when I can’t play,” she said.  “They told ‘you’re shut down you can’t play,’ that’s what they [the Sky] told me yesterday… Obviously they gave me options to play and deal with the pain as tolerated but it’s not worth it.  “I want to have a long career in the league. I want to play basketball for a while so it’s not worth it.”

Reese also shut down apparent speculation that she was pregnant.  “That was never a thing… I want to make this crystal clear, I don’t have a man to have kids, I don’t have a ring to have kids I am 22 with no kids. And I’m not coming to kids,” Reese said.  “So that’s not going to be a thing anytime soon. I just want y’all to know that. because I know y’all like to have some clicks.”

Reese said she’ll be training and conditioning, as well as keeping up with her ventures off the court, during her recovery.  “So in the meantime I will just be in my 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,” Reese said.

“[I’ll be] modeling still, podcasting still, being a baddie still… and supporting my teammates from a far. Well, not a far but on the bench… I still believe we’re still making the playoffs.  “… Obviously I wanted more but God’s timing is not always my timing so I have to understand that. That’s why I’m in such good spirits because I’ve been through this and it’s literally small to a giant.”

“I’m looking forward to this minor setback to a major comeback. Year 2 is about to be scary hours. That’s crazy my last bucket [of my rookie year] was a three knowing going into my second year, even going into Unrivaled League, it’s up.”  Reese, along with Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, were the only rookies to be named to the 2024 WNBA All-Star team.  In her rookie season, Reese averaged 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.  The Sky (13-22) face the Mystics (11-24) in Chicago on Wednesday as they try and hold onto the final playoff spot in the WNBA.