Column: Angel Reese closes her Chicago chapter, but the 2026 Sky team can write its own story
Press conference: Chicago Sky introduce top offseason acquisitions & draft picks
The Chicago Sky revamped their roster, signing Skylar Diggins, trading for Rickea Jackson and drafting Gabriela Jaquez. The team introduced their top offseason acquisitions on Wednesday.
April 29 was a far cry from the last time the Chicago Sky played a game at Wintrust Arena.
It was a Sept. 11 season-finale game against the New York Liberty. It was hostile. The fans were calling for general manager Jeff Pagliocca’s firing and made it clear they were upset with how the team treated Angel Reese.
Then, Reese waved goodbye to Sky fans in what proved to be one of her final moments as a star with the Sky.
On Wednesday, Reese took the floor as a member of the Atlanta Dream. The vibes at Wintrust Arena were different from that September evening.
The Sky have moved on. Reese has, too. The fans might need a little more time.
The Wintrust Arena crowd that yearned for a star like Reese accepted that era is over. They’re also accepting the new Sky team, which still has much to prove but is easy to root for.
Big picture view:
During the first timeout of Wednesday’s preseason game, the Sky played a video tribute to Angel Reese. It recounted her two WNBA All-Star appearances, the records she set and the moments that endeared her to Sky fans. The fans gave Reese a standing ovation.
The only issue was how the video was played during a timeout, and not between quarters. Reese was locked in the Dream huddle and couldn’t wave to the crowd. Not that she owes anyone that.
The team traded Reese to Atlanta for two first-round picks. It was before the team remade itself with plenty of veteran signings and trades that landed budding players.
"It was something that you're surprised by," Van Lith told reporters at Wednesday morning’s shootaround about the Reese trade. "But also, it's the nature of the business."
It’s certainly business.
The Sky alienated Reese with a first-half suspension after remarks to a reporter criticizing the roster construction. She vented her frustration and the biggest mistake she made was naming guard Courtney Vandersloot.
Even after she made amends publicly and privately, the Sky reprimanded her anyway.
After that, it felt like a foregone conclusion that Reese had played her final games in a Sky jersey. The team worked with Reese to find a trade partner. Just like that, one of the most popular players the Sky had ever had was flying to Atlanta.
Fans were still coming to grips with Reese playing elsewhere. Meanwhile, Reese said after the game she was grateful for her two years in Chicago.
But, she’s happy to be in Atlanta now. The Chicago chapter of her career is firmly closed and now she’s playing with a team with high aspirations.
"I just told her to go be great, go kill it," Sky coach Tyler Marsh said. "She's with a championship-caliber team. You saw some of her talents and things that she can do with them tonight. So she fits in perfectly."
Reese is playing on a Dream team that’s asking her to take more shots and fit in with a roster that includes Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon.
These new teammates offer a different environment than Reese had with the roster in general. The biggest difference is how Atlanta has a roster that’s been together for multiple seasons, instead of the two years of overhauled rosters the Sky had in Reese’s first two years.
"It’s an easy adjustment for me because I think my teammates and my coaches put a lot of confidence into me," Reese said of her Atlanta teammates.
There’s no ill will. There’s no bad blood. There are no lingering feelings. There’s only the present.
Reese is a member of the Dream. She feels the love and support that fans still harbor for her. But, that chapter is now officially closed.
"I’m really happy and grateful to be here with Atlanta now," Reese said.
What's next:
The Sky have ways to go before the 2026 team wins over the Sky fans who feel betrayed by the team moving on from Reese.
There are plenty of those fans. So many wore their Reese jersey on Wednesday. Some wore "Fire Jeff" T-shirts. The fans will need time to move on.
But, Reese has closed her chapter on the Sky. It’s fair to feel still jilted by a team leaving their star behind, but this is a new Sky team. The 2026 Sky has a chance to be a good team.
There’s the right amount of continuity, like with Maddy Westbeld and Hailey Van Lith showcasing improvements in their two sophomore preseason games. Van Lith looks more confident. Westbeld displayed a more fluid 3-point shot with a quick release.
There are new stars, like Rickea Jackson. She earned a roar from the Wintrust Arena crowd for an emphatic block in the first quarter. She could be the new star on the block.
This doesn’t include the vested veteran Skylar Diggins, who signed with the Sky this offseason and can provide a veteran presence and inject a level of intensity the team hasn’t had in years.
When one chapter closes, another one begins. The Sky officially start that new chapter soon.
It's only fair to allow this Sky team the chance to write its own story.