Angel Reese Openly Breaches WNBA Rule as She Vows to Never Leave Unrivaled

Angel Reese is living her best life with Unrivaled, and she wholeheartedly agrees. Ever since becoming the first rookie to join the new league, she’s been all in. From her social media posts to behind-the-scenes clips, Reese’s excitement practically leaps off the screen. But amidst it all, she’s making headlines for, well, let’s call her the Sky’s “Recruiting Enthusiast.”

And while it’s all fun and games, the WNBA has a very real rule about tampering, and Chi-Town Barbie’s antics might be skirting the line.

In a tweet that practically radiated joy, she wrote, “We get to workout, use the weight room, create new bonds/friendships, get treatment, get massages, use the sauna, getting 2 meals a day, and then a facial before I leave for the day??? Yeah I love it here 😭❤️ @Unrivaledwbb.”

She’s happy, and from the sound of it, she’s not planning to leave it ever, which is a good thing. But then came her follow-up tweet, “Oh & trust me, a lot of these things will be in Chicago this year as well! @FREE AGENTS.” You see, the WNBA’s tampering rules are pretty strict.

No member of the league—player, coach, executive, or otherwise—is allowed to publicly or privately encourage a player on another team to join theirs. And Reese’s tweet is kind of skating on thin ice. But this isn’t the first time she has dipped her toes into this recruiting talk.

During an Unrivaled media event, she was caught chanting, “Get Kah back! Get Kah back!” We can see that Kahleah Copper and the 2024 draftee have formed a lovely, playful bond. Reese even affectionately calls Copper “grandma” (in the sweetest, most leg-pulling way).

And it looks like Copper, who was traded to the Phoenix Mercury in a blockbuster deal, is clearly someone Reese wants back on the Sky. But talking about it publicly? It’s a bit risky. Moreover, she’s also taken a playful shot at bringing back Gabby Williams, a former Sky player who’s been out of Chicago since 2020.

Although the rookie called her recruiting attempts a “joke,” but… was it really? We’ll leave that up for interpretation. However, at the end of the day, she must know that the pressure is on her shoulders this season, and she needs to deliver on the court.

To be fair, Angel Reese’s shooting lacks have been very much evident. Her field goal percentage sat at just 39.1%, and her three-point shooting is a rough 18.8%. There were six games where her field goal percentage didn’t even hit 25%. But Reese seems determined to turn things around.

This comes after Tyler Marsh, the Sky’s new coach, made one thing crystal clear: the team’s shooting game needs an overhaul. Marsh didn’t mince words in his introductory press conference, emphasizing the need for confidence in shooting—especially from beyond the arc.

“I told Rachel [Banham] and Michaela [Onyenwere] in our first conversations, ‘When you have it, I want you to feel the confidence of letting it ride,’ and that goes for everyone as we’re gonna get you shooting some threes too,” he said.

The Sky forward seems to be rising to the challenge. A recent practice video from Unrivaled showed her sinking three after three, a sight that probably brought a sigh of relief to Sky fans. For a player whose college days included a rough 15.6% from deep, this is a big deal.

USA Today via Reuters

And as the face of the Sky, Reese knows the pressure is on. Her team ranked near the bottom of the league last season in field goal percentage (42.2%) and three-point shooting (32.3%). And while it’s clear Marsh has a plan, the execution will largely depend on players like Reese. The good part is putting in the work.

Let’s see if we get to see all that effort translates to the court.