Angel Reese’s mystery back pain: Legit injury or PR strategy?

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has missed the last several games due to lingering back pain. No specifics about her injury or plans to return have been shared with the public.

Jason Whitlock’s conclusion: “She’s quit on the Chicago Sky.”

“She’s been claiming a back injury basically since the All-Star break, and there’s no details. … Every week, there’s no update on what she’s struggling with, what she’s doing — there’s nothing,” he says.

“I think she’s using her back as an excuse to sit out because she doesn’t really care about basketball,” he adds.

“I think she looks over at Caitlin Clark and says, ‘Hey, Caitlin Clark is out with a legitimate injury. I proved my point before the All-Star game when I went on a 10-game run trying to justify being on the All-Star team. … The Chicago Sky sucked this year. Peace out,’” he says.

Jason reveals that he came to this conclusion when he watched the Indiana Fever beat the Chicago Sky 92-70 last Saturday. Not only did Reese not play, she even “declined to travel to Indianapolis,” where the match was hosted.

Chicago Sky Coach Tyler Marsh addressed her absence with some ambiguous drivel about Reese focusing on her rehab and being “day-to-day,” but that failed to quell speculation that her absence has more to do with the Sky’s poor performance than a legitimate injury.

“We’ve never had an explanation on what caused the back injury [or] what’s a time frame for her recovery. … All we’ve heard is ‘day-to-day’ and Angel Reese has disappeared,” says Jason, who assumes that her absence is about preventing “Ls on [her] resume.”

Reese and her groupies, he argues, will likely connect the Sky’s poor record to Reese’s absence, arguing that the team’s losses are “proof of how valuable Angel Reese is.”

But the truth is evident to him: “Angel Reese doesn’t really care about basketball.”

“Angel Reese is 6’3”. What else was she going to do but play a sport? … She has the athleticism to play, but does she really love this game? I don’t think so.”

To hear more of Jason’s commentary, watch the episode above.

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