Randallstown native Angel Reese calls out WNBA refs: ‘Tired of this s—’

Angel Reese was not pleased Sunday after the Chicago Sky’s 80-75 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. The Randallstown native, who played college basketball for Maryland and LSU, was particularly peeved at the officiating.

“It’s tough when you talk to officials, and I asked them, ‘Hey, we’ve only been to the free throw line twice up until the fourth quarter,’ and she tells me it’s not her job,” Reese said at her postgame news conference. “So it’s frustrating because I know how hard we are battling inside. … I think this is a leaping step for us, and obviously we know we can compete with the best, but [the officiating] has to be fixed. And I don’t give a damn if I get fined because that s— is cheap, and I’m tired of this s—. ‘Cause I’ve been nice, and I’ve been humble with it, but I am tired of this s—.”

The Sky attempted just eight free throws in the defeat, compared with 17 attempts for the Lynx. With the loss, Chicago fell to 5-12 on the season. Only the Connecticut Sun (2-16) have a worse record this season, which might be contributing to some of the Sky’s frustrations in recent games.

Reese played well in Sunday’s loss, scoring 16 points to go with 17 rebounds. She was a perfect 2-for-2 from the line. Chicago’s coach, Tyler Marsh, seemed to agree with Reese’s sentiment about the lack of foul calls, although he was more hesitant to put himself at risk for a fine.

“It’s hard to imagine that we would only have eight free throws with the amount of opportunities that we have in the paint,” Marsh said. “I think that we’re top two or three in the league in terms of shots at the rim, but in the bottom three or four in the league in terms of getting to the free-throw line. The reason for that, I’m not sure … for us to not get to the line more than that is a little frustrating.”

Other faces of the WNBA have also taken issue with the league’s officials this season, including Sparks guard Kelsey Plum and Fever coach Stephanie White.

“I drive more than anyone in the league, so to shoot six free throws is f—— absurd,” Plum said after a June 9 defeat to the Valkyries. “I got scratches on my face, I got scratches on my body, and these guards on the other team get these ticky-tack fouls, and I’m sick of it. … I don’t know what I need to do. I’ve talked to the refs nice, I pray before the game, like, f—, I’m over it.”

Despite Sunday’s frustrations, Reese has played her best basketball of the season lately, posting double-doubles in five straight games and averaging 17 points and 17.4 rebounds per game during the span. She’s also flashed elite passing skills for a forward, tallying at least six assists in three of her past five games.

On the season, Reese is averaging 12.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game on 40.9% shooting. She’s averaging 3.9 assists per contests, too, well above her 2024 average of 1.9 assists per game.

Reese and the Sky visit Fairfax, Virginia, on Tuesday for a matchup with the Washington Mystics. The game tips off at 11:30 a.m. inside EagleBank Arena.

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.