The WNBA landscape, already crackling with the energy of a transformative rookie class, experienced a seismic jolt following a recent clash between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever.

It wasn’t just the on-court action, marked by intense physicality, but the aftermath that sent shockwaves through the league and its fanbase.

At the heart of the controversy lies a narrative, rapidly gaining traction, that the Chicago Sky organization, in a move perceived by many as prioritizing public relations and the league’s burgeoning superstar Caitlin Clark, effectively threw their own rookie sensation, Angel Reese, under the bus.

This sequence of events, stemming from a flagrant foul and its subsequent handling, speaks volumes about the complex dynamics of stardom, team loyalty, and the immense pressure cooker that is the modern WNBA.

The catalyst was a hard foul delivered by Sky guard Chennedy Carter on Caitlin Clark during their June 1st matchup. Late in the third quarter, Carter delivered a blindside shoulder check to Clark before an inbound pass, sending the Fever rookie tumbling to the floor. The play itself was immediately controversial – deemed unnecessary, overly aggressive, and occurring away from the ball.

While Carter was the perpetrator, attention quickly swiveled to the Sky bench, where Angel Reese was seen visibly reacting, rising from her seat and appearing to applaud or gesture emphatically immediately following the foul.

This reaction, captured on camera and endlessly replayed, became intrinsically linked to Carter’s action in the ensuing media firestorm.

Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and the undisputed face of this new WNBA era, garners unprecedented attention, and any incident involving her is magnified exponentially.

In the immediate aftermath, the Sky’s handling of the situation felt disjointed and reactive. Carter herself offered little clarity post-game, deflecting questions about Clark.

Reese, during her own media availability, notably refused to answer questions specifically about Clark or the incident involving her rival, stating she was focused on her own performance and the team’s win.

While potentially an attempt to control the narrative or simply avoid fanning the flames, Reese’s deflection was interpreted by many as tacit approval of Carter’s actions or, at minimum, a lack of concern for Clark’s well-being after a hard foul.

This put Reese directly in the crosshairs of public criticism, alongside Carter. The initial lack of a strong, unified message from the Sky organization allowed this narrative to solidify: Carter committed the foul, and Reese celebrated it.

The turning point, and the moment many pinpoint as the Sky abandoning Reese, came later. Facing mounting public pressure and widespread condemnation of the foul – which the league subsequently upgraded to a Flagrant Foul 1 upon review – Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon issued a public statement.

Weatherspoon condemned Carter’s actions, stating, “Physicality is associated with the game, but we have to make sure that we’re playing basketball the right way… it was appropriate for [Carter] not to be in the game at that time… that’s unacceptable.”

Crucially, while condemning Carter’s foul, the statement offered no explicit defense or contextualization of Reese’s reaction. There was no comment clarifying Reese’s intent, no pushback against the narrative that she was gleefully celebrating an overly aggressive act, no public show of support for their rookie who was enduring intense criticism.

This omission was glaring. By focusing solely on condemning Carter’s “unacceptable” action without addressing the storm surrounding Reese, the Sky appeared to tacitly accept the prevailing narrative that lumped Reese’s reaction in with Carter’s foul as equally problematic.

Critics argue the organization prioritized appeasing the broader audience, protecting the league’s image (heavily tied to Clark’s safety and reception), and distancing themselves from Carter’s specific act, even if it meant leaving Reese exposed to continued backlash.

Reese wasn’t the one who committed the flagrant foul, yet she bore a significant brunt of the public outrage.

The perception grew that the Sky, perhaps bowing to the immense pressure generated by the “Caitlin Clark effect,” chose the path of least resistance, which involved implicitly validating the criticism directed at Reese by not challenging it.

The argument that Reese was “thrown under the bus” gains further credence when considering the power dynamics at play. Caitlin Clark is not just another rookie; she is an economic engine driving unprecedented viewership, ticket sales, and media coverage for the WNBA.

Protecting her image and ensuring she feels safe on the court is arguably a high priority, not just for the Fever, but for the league as a whole and, by extension, its teams who benefit from the rising tide.

In this context, the Sky’s swift condemnation of Carter and conspicuous silence regarding Reese can be interpreted as a strategic move to align with the league’s implicit directive: protect the asset.

It suggests a calculation where the potential internal friction caused by not publicly backing Reese was deemed less damaging than the potential public relations fallout of appearing to condone any part of the incident involving Clark, even Reese’s arguably ambiguous reaction from the bench.

Furthermore, the history between Reese and Clark adds another layer of complexity. Their rivalry, dating back to the 2023 NCAA Championship game, is one of the most compelling storylines in the sport.

Reese has always embraced a more confrontational, “villain” persona in contrast to Clark’s generally more reserved public image. While this dynamic fuels fan interest, it also makes Reese an easy target when controversies arise.

Her bench reaction, viewed through the lens of this existing rivalry, was readily interpreted by critics in the least charitable light possible – as unsportsmanlike glee rather than competitive fire or bench support for a teammate’s perceived assertiveness (however misplaced).

The Sky’s failure to publicly offer an alternative interpretation or simply state support for their player felt like a missed opportunity, bordering on abandonment, especially for a rookie navigating the intense pressures of the professional league and a highly publicized rivalry.

The implications of this incident are indeed huge, extending beyond a single game or foul. It raises questions about team loyalty versus league-wide commercial interests.

How should teams balance supporting their players, even through controversial moments, with managing public perception, especially when a figure as monumental as Caitlin Clark is involved?

Did the Sky fulfill their duty to protect their player, Angel Reese, from disproportionate criticism, or did they prioritize distancing themselves from negative press associated with Clark?

The narrative that Reese was sacrificed for the sake of optics and appeasing the Clark phenomenon is powerful and resonates with many who see a double standard in how different players are treated based on their perceived marketability or role within the league’s broader narrative.

Ultimately, whether the Chicago Sky intended to throw Angel Reese under the bus is perhaps less significant than the widespread perception that they did.

Their public handling of the Chennedy Carter foul and its fallout created a vacuum of support around Reese at a critical moment.

By condemning the foul without defending or contextualizing Reese’s reaction, they allowed the narrative connecting her negatively to the incident to flourish unchecked.

In the high-stakes environment of the WNBA, amplified by the unprecedented attention Clark brings, every action and inaction by organizations is scrutinized.

In this instance, the Sky’s response left many feeling that they prioritized the league’s biggest star and the associated public relations concerns over unequivocally backing their own rookie, Angel Reese, marking a potentially defining moment in the team’s relationship with its player and the league’s ongoing navigation of its newfound spotlight.