Angel Reese will miss her team’s Unrivaled semifinal matchup due to a hand injury
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese watches during the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
MEDLEY, Fla. (AP) — Angel Reese will miss her team’s Unrivaled semifinal matchup on Sunday because of a hand injury, the league announced Saturday.
Reese, who has played for Rose BC during the inaugural season of the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, injured her hand against Vinyl in last week’s regular-season finale. It’s the same left hand that Reese had surgery on in September to repair a small crack in a bone in her wrist, which ended the star forward’s stellar rookie season with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky early.
Reese was one of Unrivaled biggest standouts during its eight-week regular season. She was named Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday after leading the league with 12.1 rebounds per game and was named to the All-Unrivaled second-team earlier this week.
She led Rose with eight blocked shots this year and anchored Unrivaled’s best scoring defense, which held opponents to 65.2 points per game. Reese also had a 22-point, 21-rebound game on Feb. 21, when Rose handed Unrivaled Co-founder Napheesa Collier and the Lunar Owls their only loss of the season.
“God, thank you for getting me through the highs & lows!” Reese posted on social media Saturday. “Be where your feet are & allow yourself growth!”
Unrivaled’s postseason begins Sunday with two semifinal matchups. Reese’s second-seeded Rose team will face Kayla McBride and the No. 3 seed Laces in the first semifinal. Collier and the top-seeded Lunar Owls will take on Dearica Hamby, Aliyah Boston and No. 4 Vinyl in the other. The winners will advance to Monday’s final.
It’s not yet known if Reese would be available to play in Monday’s final if her team advances.