Angel Reese controversially ejected in fourth quarter vs. New York Liberty

As time ticked away on the Chicago Sky’s matchup with the New York Liberty, Angel Reese was ejected from the contest. She received her fifth foul of the game, but was also whistled for a technical foul, which led to her ejection.

Reese headed down the court with four fouls and got called for her fifth with 2:31 to play in the game. After the whistle, she appeared to wave off the referee as she walked away, which likely led to her ejection.

Reese finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the effort and recorded her first career block. However, the Sky went on to lose the game 88-75 to drop to 3-5 on the season.

Angel Reese has been tossed from the game.

Looking at the replay, it looks like she waved off the referee after she was called for a foul which led to the ejection. pic.twitter.com/l5b6xMEk3j

— Karli Bell (@KarliBell33) June 5, 2024

After the game, Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon said she tried to learn more about what led to Reese’s ejection – the first of her young career – but didn’t find out anything else.

“I tried to get an explanation and I did not,” Weatherspoon said, via the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe. “I don’t know at this moment what has happened.”

Reese is expected to receive a $200 fine for each technical foul, Poe said, making it $400 total. However, she has one high-profile athlete in her corner. Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who was sitting courtside for Tuesday’s game, offered to pay it and told her to “keep ya money.”

More on Angel Reese’s rookie season in the WNBA

Reese is off to a fast start to her WNBA career after going to Chicago as the No. 7 overall pick in the draft. After Tuesday’s game, she’s averaging 10.6 points and 8.9 rebounds to go with 1.9 assists and 1.3 assists. Rebounding has been her biggest area, though, and she set a Sky rookie record in the last game against the Indiana Fever with eight offensive boards.

That game also brought in an impressive viewing audience, averaging over 1.5 million viewers. It’s yet another big showing for the WNBA, which has seen a ratings increase this season as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and the rest of a highly anticipated rookie class arrived in the league.

ESPN wasn’t originally supposed to air the game, though. NBA TV was, and last month, the league opted to flex it to ESPN with the Noon ET time slot on Saturday. It lived up to the billing as the two teams kept it close and it came down to the final seconds.