The Chicago Sky lost to the New York Liberty 91-86 in Thursday night’s season finale. It was their 34th loss of the 2025 season. It’s their worst season in the WNBA since the franchise’s inception in 2006, when the Sky won five games total.

That was not the game that mattered.

Maddy Westbeld scored 25 points off the bench. Rachel Banham logged a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. The Sky chipped away at a 23-point Liberty lead, getting Wintrust Arena into the game with two minutes to go.

It wasn’t the game that counted in the end.

The game that mattered was aired publicly, but you wouldn’t find it on any television. It was fought with statements and through the press.

Nothing was beautiful or sacred. One side won. It was an ugly win.

In the game that mattered on Thursday night at Wintrust Arena, Angel Reese won. She won the court of public opinion. The Sky faithful sided with Reese.

The backstory:

The majority of Wintrust Arena joined her bandwagon, openly showing their disdain for Sky decision makers. They made signs that said “Fire Jeff,” referring to Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca, “Tired of mediocrity,” “Free 5” and “Angel was right.”

Fans made these signs at a sponsored table at the top of the escalators leading to the second level of Wintrust Arena. The venue employees could only watch as fans wrote various levels of disagreement they planned on showing during the game. Two fans made signs and printed shirts that said “Fire Jeff.”

Fans were irate that the Sky had imposed a first-half suspension on Reese after she spoke to the Chicago Tribune about the team needing to acquire players in the offseason that would improve the roster. Reese voiced her frustration as the team sat at the bottom of the league.

Reese’s biggest misstep was naming Courtney Vandersloot in her comments, which could be interpreted as Reese being critical of Vandersloot. That broke an unwritten rule about keeping complaints and frustrations in-house as opposed to airing them out publicly. Reese displayed remorse for this and apologized on Sept. 3 after the team’s win over Connecticut.

“I probably am frustrated with myself right now,” she said on Sept. 3. “I think the language was taken out of context and I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year.”

Reese apologized to the locker room, but the Sky inflamed the situation when they gave Reese a first-half suspension for last Sunday’s game vs. Las Vegas and issued a public statement saying the comments were “statements detrimental to the team.” 

“The Chicago Sky values the safety, respect, and well-being of every player. We are committed to accountability so our players can stay focused on playing basketball,” the team said.

That Sept. 3 team was the final game Reese played this season. Reese missed the last few games of the season with a back injury. She averaged 14.7 points and a league-leading 12.6 rebounds per game this season. She recorded fewer than 10 rebounds just six times.

Big picture view:

All of this counted as the play-by-play leading to Thursday’s face-off between the face of the franchise and the very top of the Sky organization.

There were no field goals attempted or fouls taken. There was just the situation between Reese and the team’s front office in what’s become an uncomfortable Cold War fought with statements and words that’s devolved as the past two weeks have continued.

When asked during his pregame presser if he feels Reese has a future in Chicago, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh just said “Sure.” Marsh said more after the game, speaking highly of how Reese handles herself, her stardom and the unfair criticism that comes with it. But speaking on the future of the franchise is a difficult endeavor when there’s so much uncertainty.

This off-the-court game reached a fever pitch when Sky fans actually began chanting “Fire Jeff” during the game. The players, caught in the middle, felt the fracture between the fan base and the decision makers.

“It’s distracting,” Sky guard Kia Nurse said. “It’s been distracting.”

It was a distraction, especially from the few positive stories at hand.

Westbeld, who earned playing time as the season went on, ended the season on a high note with a career high in points. Nurse was extremely complimentary of Westbeld after watching her approach to the game during her rookie season

“I was always really impressed with her approach, and when you come into this league, the biggest transition is that the accountability all comes on you,” Nurse said of Westbeld. “There is a lot of pressure and constant fear of, ‘Can I keep my spot? Can I be here? Do I belong?’ And Maddie absolutely belongs.”

This was buried because of Thursday’s Cold War.

What’s next:

To be clear, Reese didn’t start it. The fans have been frustrated with how the season became a litany of injuries and struggles after Pagliocca mortgaged the future of this team for a roster that he believed could contend for a playoff spot this season. That roster fell massively short of the expectations on their shoulders, which may have been unfair to begin with.

Reese may have broken a cardinal sin in going public, but the Sky exacerbated the situation by punishing a player who already went out of her way to make amends publicly and privately.

That led to Thursday night.

The Sky traded hugs as a difficult season came to an end. As the players left the court, Reese took time to circle Wintrust Arena and wave to fans as she left the floor.

We don’t know what the future holds, but it felt like Reese was waving goodbye to the Sky fanbase that was audibly and publicly supporting her.

“i love y’all,” Reese wrote on X after the game.

It didn’t have to be this way, either.