Cardi B Emotional Over Angel Reese Getting Protection from Chicago Sky Teammates

Angel Reese has inadvertently found herself in the line of criticism after the Chicago Sky's disastrous start to their season.

Cardi B Emotional Over Angel Reese Getting Protection from Chicago Sky Teammates

Cardi B gets emotional after veteran teammate backs Angel Reese (Image via FirstSportz)

In her second season in the WNBA, many expected Angel Reese to take a leap in terms of her on-court performances. Instead, she courted more criticisms about her play as they have had an impact on the poor start the Chicago Sky have endured.

In the eight games Reese has played so far as the starting forward for the Sky, she has had five games where she scored in double digits and six games where she notched double-digit rebounds. In the three other games, she never went past 6 points, one of them being as low as 2.

More importantly, the Sky are 2-6 with her starting, and instead of taking over games as she used to last season, many fans have pointed out that she looks like she is a part of the game and not the primary superstar.

Many believed that she should have worked more on her game instead of focusing on fashion and her brand. When those criticisms came through media circles, her veteran teammate, Ariel Atkins, stepped in. The WNBA champion made it clear that media and fans should lay off the criticism, as Reese is just a 23-year-old.

Atkins believes her younger teammate has time to build on her game, and the media, especially, should focus on that part during press conferences instead of asking questions about non-basketball-related content. The video of this quickly went viral and caught the attention of rapper Cardi B.

The Grammy Award-winning artist commented on the clip with a heart sign and an emotional emoticon. Cardi B was happy that a WNBA veteran was protecting the young star, as they need someone to have their back in these tough times.

Giannis Antetokounmpo shouts out Ariel Atkins for supporting Angel Reese

The video of Ariel Atkins admonishing the media has garnered nearly 4 million views across various reposts. The original version that reached Cardi B also reached the notifications tab of Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s phone, who wrote this:

That’s a great teammate right there.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wrote

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar’s reply indicates he is also happy that Angel Reese has a great teammate in Atkins. It is necessary to have veteran stars who can set the tone on what is allowed. Only then can media members stick to what they can ask and what they cannot.

Reese herself has tried to avoid questions. It is possible that Ariel Atkins noticed that reporters time and again came up with questions that could lead her to blurt out controversial answers. As experienced players, the 2-time All-Star was setting the tone.

Angel Reese and Sky have to regroup and figure out ways to start winning

This establishment of a support system could not come at a better time for the Chicago Sky. Angel Reese, her teammates, and the coaching staff have been ridiculed after their disastrous start to the 2025 season. Their two wins so far came against the similarly struggling Dallas Wings.

Angel Reese and her Sky teammates need to dig deep to start winning
Angel Reese and her Sky teammates need to dig deep to start winning (Image via WNBA/X)

If anything, this show of support from the veterans should be the spark that the team needs. The Chicago Sky need to have each other’s backs, especially after Courtney Vandersloot‘s injury, if they are to start winning and stage a late-season run towards the playoffs.

All they need is to dig deep and figure out how they can collectively improve as a team. They do have a string of games coming through that can help jumpstart their season. Even if the team loses a few more games, their collective efforts should start bearing some fruit down the line.

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