In her team’s 84-71 loss against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, freshman phenom Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky created WNBA history by recording her 13th consecutive double-double, a new league record.
Reese broke the W’s previous milestone of 12 straight double-doubles, set by all-time great Candace Parker in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, with 17 points and 14 rebounds in the game.
“I’m just trying to be consistent for my teammates, doing whatever I can to help my team,” Reese replied. “I think I didn’t do enough tonight, but just being able to be there for my teammates and knowing that I have a job to do every day no matter if I’m a rookie or a vet.”
First-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon described Reese’s accomplishment as “absolutely amazing to see.” “She might be surprising herself, but she’s not surprising me. It’s something that she can do because it’s something that she puts the work in to be able to do. And it’s a will and want-to… it’s awesome to see the work that you have to put in to be able to do this.”
In just 20 games, Reese also hit the 275-point, 225-rebound, and 30-steal milestones. Yolanda Griffith (1999) was the only player to record such figures in less games.
At this point in the season, Reese has 14 double-doubles, which ties him for seventh most in rookie history. Tina Charles has the first-year double-double record with twenty-two.
“It’s great for me to be able to know where I’m at right now, and obviously I’m not satisfied with where I’m at,” Reese stated. “I have coaches and teammates around me that believe in me and trust me and I just continue to trust the process of everything. I’m grateful. I’m blessed and lucky to be named with these amazing players. They’ve always been super nice to me. They’ve always been helpful and inspiring to me. I’ve watched them all my life and finally to be here in this moment and break their records and being able to be up there with them is really cool.”
The rookie has long looked up to Parker, a star who played two seasons with Reese’s Sky and led them to the franchise’s lone championship in 2021. Reese mentioned that she had also grown close to Parker’s mother.
“To continue to be named with her, I want to win, and being able to come out and come to Chicago and represent her city and bring a championship home is going to be what’s important for me and what I look forward to,” Reese said regarding Parker.
Reese, who has battled with efficiency at times this season, went 8 of 15 from the field on Sunday. In six of Chicago’s last 11 games, Reese has shot at least 50% from the field.
Regarding Reese’s in-season progress, Weatherspoon remarked, “It’s a level of confidence to do way more than what people think she can.” “She’s able to trust herself, trust her training, and shoot the ball when she’s open, believing and trusting that she can make those shots because when you put the work in, there’s no reason not to trust your training. And she’s doing that.
“She has gotten really, really good at finishing around the rim, getting our offensive rebounds and putbacks, or just simply getting positioned in our offensive sets and just finishing and finishing with power around the rim. So it’s really, really good to see. She’s only going to get better as we move forward.”
Reese, the No. 7 overall pick who had an outstanding career at Maryland and LSU (where she won the national title in 2023), was one of just two rookies to be chosen a 2024 All-Star, along with Caitlin Clark last week. Leading candidates for Rookie of the Year, the two will play together on Team WNBA when they face the American Olympic team in the WNBA All-Star Game later this month.
Reese’s teammate Marina Mabrey described him as “a joy to watch.” “She’s so consistent. She comes in every day and battles and fights and she’s super physical for a rookie, which is really hard to do. That’s usually one of the biggest transitions and she kind of just jumped in there and did all the dirty work, and now it’s all paying off for her. And this is just the beginning, so I’m excited to see where it goes.”
The Sky lost on Sunday, dropping to ninth in the rankings but still having a chance to make the playoffs.