Angel Reese Exits Game Early with Leg Injury After Challenging Performance Against Former Team

An eventful weekend for Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese concluded with an injury and one of her most difficult performances of the current season.

Reese departed Sunday afternoon’s contest against her former team, the Chicago Sky, after her left leg appeared to give way as she attempted a layup early in the fourth quarter. The incident occurred just 14 seconds into the final period.

Incident on the Court

After missing the shot, Reese initially fell to the court, briefly managed to stand, and then went down once more. She was eventually escorted back to the Atlanta bench, where the Dream officially ruled her out for the remainder of the game due to a left leg injury.

However, Reese’s play prior to her exit was already notably subpar, a stark contrast to her typical dominant performances.

A Challenging Offensive Night

The 24-year-old forward concluded her 20 minutes on the court with eight points and five rebounds. Her shooting efficiency was particularly low, converting only 3 of 13 attempts from the field. She also missed her sole three-point attempt and committed three turnovers. Her on-court impact was reflected in a minus-7 rating for the game, which was the lowest among all Dream players. Additionally, she registered three personal fouls.

Her rebounding efforts, while totaling five, included only one defensive board. Four of her five rebounds were on the offensive end, with two instances of collecting her own missed shots near the basket, a characteristic often referred to as “mebounds.” This tendency to rebound her own misses has become a recognized part of Reese’s game, often contributing to her high rebounding totals.

Reese is widely recognized as one of the premier rebounders in women’s basketball, frequently bolstering her statistics by securing misses close to the hoop, including her own. On Sunday, however, even this habit was insufficient to elevate her box score to her usual respectable standards.

Entering the game, Reese was averaging 15.7 points and a league-leading 11.8 rebounds per contest. Just two days prior, she had delivered a robust performance against Toronto, tallying 23 points and 12 rebounds to achieve her league-best 17th double-double of the season. Her follow-up performance saw her miss 10 of 13 shots against the team that traded her during the offseason.

It's important to note that her challenging outing was not attributed to the injury, as she had already played 20 minutes before the incident in the fourth quarter.

Coach's Comments and Team's Narrow Victory

Following the game, Dream head coach Karl Smesko provided an update on Reese’s condition, stating she was in