Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky suffered defeat in their fourth match against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, 100-81. While the loss was heartbreaking, there was a bright side as the “Chi-Town Barbie” improved her record by notching her 23rd—the most in a single WNBA season by a rookie.
The previous record was held by Tina Charles, who tallied 22 in 2010. NBA legend and Sky minority stakeholder Dwyane Wade was ecstatic about the news of Charles’ record being broken by Angel Reese, and took to social media to congratulate the Sky rookie.
“History in the making,” the three-time NBA champion posted on X.
Angel Reese finished the game with 10 points and 11 rebounds, but those weren’t enough to withstand the dominance of Clark, who scored 31 points, 15 of which came from the three-point area.
The match was the first ever Barbie-themed game, a result of the partnership between the Sky and Mattel, makers of the world-famous doll. The former LSU Tiger even wore the unreleased Engine A from her own Reebok line for the game, but the gear didn’t matter when their opponent made a statement with a decisive victory that night.
Angel Reese is ‘like a daughter’ to Shaq
Aside from Dwyane Wade, Angel Reese also has a huge fan—quite literally—in Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaq, who teamed with Wade in the Miami Heat, sat courtside with Chicago Bulls star Matas Buzelis to watch the game.
The WNBA’s official X account posted a video featuring O’Neal as he shared how excited he was to watch Reese play live.
“I’m very excited. It’s my first time watching her (Reese) play as a pro and I get to see Caitlin Clark up close in person. So looking forward to the game,” Shaq said.
“Diesel” also commented on his relationship with Reese, saying, “She is like a daughter to me, so I’m gonna protect her. I’ll call her and I’ll just mess with her but it’s great. She’s our daughter.”
It’s still only her rookie season, and yet Angel Reese is already turning a lot of heads with her hardwood presence and talent. It’s as if she can record double-doubles whenever she wants to, but the Sky will be more than delighted if her offensive game starts to improve.
The Sky is in a precarious position as the eighth seed in the 2024 WNBA playoffs. They will have to win their remaining games to secure a tight grip of their playoff spot.
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