Sky rookie Angel Reese breaks down in tears after learning of first All-Star nod

Ryan Young

Angel Reese broke down in tears while talking with reporters on Tuesday night after what was yet another historic outing for the Chicago Sky rookie.

Reese, after extending her double-double record in the Sky’s 85-77 win over the Atlanta Dream, had officially earned her first career All-Star nod. Reese only learned of the honors as she stepped up to the podium at the Gateway Center in Georgia.

"We won today, but they just told me I'm an All-Star. I mean, I'm just so happy," Reese said through tears. "I know the work I put in. Coming into this league so many people doubted me and didn't think my game would translate and I wouldn't be the player I was in college or better or would be worse and wouldn't be where I am right now. But I trusted the process and I believed. I'm thankful that I dropped to No. 7 [in the WNBA Draft] and was able to come to Chicago. It's just a blessing."

Reese will team up with Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Dearica Hamby and Arika Ogunbowale on Team WNBA in the WNBA All-Star game later this month. They’ll take on Team USA in the pre-Olympics event at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Reese finished fifth in the fan voting with more than 380,000 votes. Clark led the way on that front with more than 700,000 votes.

Though Clark has garnered much of the attention so far this summer, Reese is on a campaign that should make for a very tight Rookie of the Year race down the stretch.

Reese dropped 12 points and had 19 rebounds in the Sky’s eight-point win on Tuesday night while recording her 11th consecutive game with a double-double. That’s a WNBA record, something she’s hit just 18 games into her professional career. The former LSU star entered Tuesday’s game averaging 13.3 points and a league-best 11.4 rebounds per game. The Sky have now won three of their last five games, and hold a 7-11 record.

Clark's numbers so far are similar, and she appears to still hold the edge in the Rookie of the Year race — which is almost certainly going to be considered the latest contentious chapter in their on-court rivalry, assuming both keep playing the way they have been.

But at least for a weekend, Clark and Reese will get to team up in Phoenix. And after the start to her career that Reese has had, she's more than earned that chance.

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