“I think this is a worse version than Kawhi” – Jason Whitlock says Angel isn’t injured but is purposely sitting out games

“I think this is a worse version than Kawhi” – Jason Whitlock says Angel isn’t injured but is purposely sitting out games originally appeared on Basketball Network.

WNBA star Angel Reese has not played for the Chicago Sky since July 29th. According to the Sky, Reese is nursing a back injury. However, her team has not provided any information as to what is wrong with Angel’s back, when she suffered the injury, or provided a timetable for her return.

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With the details of her injury murky, former ESPN and Fox Sports analyst Jason Whitlock thinks that Angel isn’t hurt and has abandoned her WNBA squad.

“I think 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 day, we hear that Angel Reese is day-to-day, and every week, there’s no update on what she is struggling with, what she’s doing. There’s nothing. There’s no information on Angel Reese. I think she’s quit on the season. I think this is a worse version of Kawhi Leonard,” said Whitlock.

She played 32 minutes on July 29th and just disappeared

Angel has missed the Sky’s last five games, and the team has gone 1-4 without her. Overall, Chicago is a miserable 8-23 on the season, and they are currently next to last in the Eastern Conference and third-worst overall in the league.

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Jason noted that Angel had that impressive 10-game stretch where she averaged 18.6 points, 14.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 stocks (steals+blocks) per game while shooting 51 percent from the field, 82 percent from the foul line and with a true shooting percentage of 58 percent. Reese posted a 22-13-3 stat line on 32 minutes versus the Washington Mystics on July 29th and has not played since.

“I came to this conclusion when I watched the Indiana Fever destroy the Chicago Sky recently in Indianapolis. Guess who wasn’t there? Angel Reese. Angel Reese declined to travel to Indianapolis, and her coach said something about she’s just focused on her rehab right now, and she’s day-to-day. We’ve never had an explanation on what caused the back injury, what’s a time frame for her recovery. All we’ve heard is day-to-day, and Angel Reese has disappeared,” he added.

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Angel gave a three-word update on her status

Meanwhile, Reese recently posted “In due time” on her “X” account. While she did not fly to Indianapolis with her team last weekend, Angel was a keen observer during the Sky’s practice last Monday and was seen cheering on her teammates. The Sky will play the Connecticut Sun next Wednesday night, and it will be interesting to see if the forward travels with the team for that game.

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Chicago is 1-10 in their last 11 games and is on pace to finish with their worst season since 2006, and with 13 games left to play in their regular season, many wonder if Reese has been shut down or will be, for the rest of the year, to fully recover.

Whitlock has a valid point in asking what is really wrong with Reese because it’s unclear what’s wrong with her back, but bringing up Kawhi Leonard was unnecessary. However, Kawhi is notorious for sitting out games to load manage and prevent injuries instead of recuperating from them, which could be what is going on with Angel right now.

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Related: Arenas names 5 WNBA players that can impact the current CBA negotiations: “If there’s nothing happening, we won’t play”

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.