Angel Reese of Chicago Sky waving for a pass.

Angel Reese (Photo via @MarcusD3 Twitter)
Social media is ripping on Chicago Sky star rookie Angel Reese for padding her stats in the waning seconds of Wednesday’s victory over the Atlanta Dream.

Angel Reese extended her WNBA record of consecutive games with a double-double to 14, finishing with 11 points and 13 rebounds. She led the Sky to a 78-69 victory that improved their record to 9-12.

When a basketball game is essentially out of reach, teams usually just dribble out the clock until the final buzzer. The Dream were seemingly content doing this, trailing 76-69 in the waning seconds.

But Reese, who was at nine points, decided to try and keep the streak going. She drew a foul that sent her to the free-throw line, and Reese made both of them to extend her special streak:

 

One can understand Reese’s wish to keep the streak going, but countless fans on X/Twitter weren’t happy with the so-called “stat padding.” Here are some of the rather cold reactions to Reese’s move:

It’s safe to say that Angel Reese isn’t at all worried about the criticism she has received over the last 24 hours. Remember, she said she was fine taking the “bad guy role” when talking about Caitlin Clark just last month:

 

The Sky selected Reese seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The LSU legend and 2023 national champion has certainly lived up to expectations in the early going, with averages of 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Angel Reese & Chicago Sky Are On A Roll

The playoffs felt like a longshot for Chicago after they lost nine of their first 13 games, but they’ve turned a corner over the last three weeks.

Chicago has now won five of their last eight games, and three of their last four overall. Now just three games below .500, the Sky hold the seventh seed and are just 2.5 behind the Phoenix Mercury for the No. 6 seed.