The New York Liberty recorded an 88-75 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday evening.
In the final minutes, with the Liberty firmly in control, Sky rookie Angel Reese blew two quick whistles for her first ejection from a WNBA game. The ejection occurred with New York leading, 82-71 and 2:31 remaining. Reese initially whistled for a personal foul while fighting for a rebound. Two subsequent technical whistles quickly followed and Reese was ejected from the match.
It happened so quickly that the NBATV broadcast initially announced that New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had been ejected. But it was in fact Reese who was thrown out.
Replay shows the interaction that gave rise to the technical details that the live broadcast missed. Referee Charles Watson whistled Reese for the personal foul. Reese protested for a moment, then turned her back on Watson with a dismissive wave of her hand. Watson responded with two technical whistles and a toss gesture, indicating that Reese was no longer welcome to play basketball.
Watson then continued to the other side of the field. Reese and her Sky teammates were stunned by what happened. It wasn’t clear at first what Reese said, but it certainly got under Watson’s skin.
Play then resumed and New York held on for the win. Reese finished the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two technical fouls. And the WNBA has more to say after a busy weekend in the news.
Why was Reese sent away?
Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon told reporters after the match that the officials had not explained the expulsion to her.
Teresa Weatherspoon asked about Angel Reese’s ejection after the game and Coach T isn’t happy about it.
“I tried to get an explanation. I didn’t. I don’t know what happened until this moment.”🤷🏽♂️
(AR reportedly said ‘that’s rubbish’ and waved the ref off) #SkyTown #WNBA pic.twitter.com/hA6vXYtXpB
— Joshua Sánchez (@jnsanchez) June 5, 2024
“I tried to get an explanation, but I didn’t,” Weatherspoon said. “I don’t know what happened until this moment.”
Chief Officer Maj. Forsberg told reporters that the first technical communication to Reese was regarding the “disrespectful addressing” of Watson. The second was because of the Reese’s hand movement.
Reese did not speak to reporters after the game. But her removal caught the attention of a fellow Chicago basketball player. Bulls guard Lonzo Ball called the expulsion “weak” and offered on social media to pay any subsequent fines.
Reese appreciated the gesture.
Sky top scorer Marina Mabrey described the moment as a learning experience for Reese, via ESPN:
“She has two techs, she said something to the referee,” Mabrey said. “Whatever he felt, it was the right decision, that’s what he did. It’s more about calmness for us in our younger years in the WNBA. You have to get to know referees and how they react to things.”
