The New York Liberty secured a commanding 88-75 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night. As the game drew to a close, with the Liberty firmly in control, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese found herself ejected from a WNBA game for the first time. The incident occurred with just 2:31 remaining and New York holding a comfortable 82-71 lead. Reese received her first whistle for a personal foul during a rebounding battle, followed swiftly by two technical fouls, resulting in her ejection from the game. The rapid sequence of events led to initial confusion, with the NBATV broadcast erroneously announcing the ejection of New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. However, upon clarification, it became clear that Reese was the player who had been ejected.
Replay shows the interaction that prompted the technicals that the live broadcast missed. Referee Charles Watson whistled Reese for the personal foul. Reese briefly protested, then turned her back to Watson with a dismissive hand wave. Watson responded with two technical whistles and an overhead toss gesture signaling that Reese was no longer welcome to play basketball.
Watson then continued to walk to the other side of the court. Reese and her Sky teammates stood, perplexed at what happened. It wasn’t initially clear what Reese said, but it certainly got underneath 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 talk about after a busy weekend in the news.