Angel Reese takes out frustration on coach's clipboard late in Sky's two-point loss to Mystics

Gilbert McGregor

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Angel Reese takes out frustration on coach's clipboard late in Sky's two-point loss to Mystics image

Frustrations may have gotten the best of Sky All-Star Angel Reese during a loss to the Mystics on Wednesday.

Reese, who turned in yet another complete performance in the two-point loss, had one of her lower moments of the game go viral. While she finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists, much of the postgame conversation is about her slapping a clipboard from a coach's hand.

Here is what happened with Reese during the loss in Washington, D.C.

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Angel Reese clipboard incident

As Reese walked toward the bench during the final minute of Wednesday's game, a staffer, who appears to be Sky VP of basketball operations Ann Crosby, reached out a clipboard, possibly to show something to the two-time All-Star.

Reese, frustrated by a foul call on the previous play, batted down the clipboard while pleading with her team, suggesting the frustration was with the officiating and not the coach who attempted to show her something.

The call came at a crucial juncture of the game, and Reese, who was whistled for a technical foul earlier in the contest, stormed away to avoid possible ejection. However, the decision to channel frustration toward someone on her side has quickly been met with controversy.

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The optics of the situation are made much worse because a coach was involved, but Reese's frustrations invoke memories of Tom Brady's beef with Microsoft Surface tablets.

Reese's moment comes days after she pleaded with the league to improve officiating, expressing a willingness to accept a fine for speaking her mind.

After the loss to Washington, Reese said that the loss was "very frustrating for myself," as Chicago came up short despite her WNBA-record sixth straight game of 15 or more rebounds.

It does not appear that Reese or Sky head coach Tyler Marsh were asked about the late-game incident, though Marsh was asked about some of the officiating that drew the ire of his star player.

Given the optics, Reese or the Sky could come out and address the fallout from the run-in. For now, there is just an eight-second clip that shows Reese at the peak of her frustration with the situation.

Reese said that she got caught up in the moment of the game and her frustration got the best of her. She added that her coach understood the emotion and didn't even let her apologize, but the Sky forward said it won't be happening again.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.