To give credit where it’s due: Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese does indeed own the longest double-double streak in WNBA history.
(A double-double in basketball parlance is when a player notches at least 10 — a “double”-digit — in two different categories, such as points, rebounds and/or assists. Notching 10 in three different categories is referred to as a triple-double.)
The problem is that when she extended that streak to 14 straight games, Reese did so under a cloud of controversy because of the rather shameless manner in which she notched the last point she needed.
To recap: The Sky beat the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday, in a relatively nondescript game that saw Chicago win 78-69, ESPN reported.
Reese finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, keeping her streak alive, but it would be remiss not to mention that Reese scored points 10 and 11 in a game that was effectively over.
You can watch the viral incident for yourself below:
This is how Angel Reese got her double double today. pic.twitter.com/TXNx5KeX3c
— McConnell Muse (@McConnellMuse) July 10, 2024
One very important thing to note about that clip: The shot clock — a mechanism which would typically force a team to shoot within an allotted time — was turned off because there were just seconds left in the game. In other words, the Sky could’ve easily killed the clock and left with a 76-69 win.
Who is the better rookie?
Oh, but that wouldn’t have given Reese her record.
No, the former LSU Lady Tiger was a point shy of 10, so of course she posted up on a meaningless possession.
And of course the classless Chennedy Carter fed Reese the ball, because who needs sportsmanship in 2024?
To her minimal credit, Reese hit both free throws to secure the double-double. The Dream then just let the clock bleed out when they got the ball back — something the Sky should and could have done on the possession prior.
Perhaps the most aggravating part of this gross display of lack of sportsmanship was the naked ambition of it all: Reese, so, so badly, wants to beat Indiana Fever superstar rookie Caitlin Clark for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
Reese and Clark — not unlike Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, once upon a time, with the NBA — have breathed new life into both the WNBA and women’s basketball as a whole via their longstanding (and partially racially charged given that Reese is black and Clark is white) rivalry that dates back to some epic clashes in college.
But that’s also underselling Clark’s nuclear superstardom, which is something that has clearly irked Reese.
This double-double streak is pretty clearly the only thing that Reese’s rookie of the year campaign has going for it.
Both women’s teams have won nine games apiece. Clark is averaging more points, assists and, somehow, blocks than the bigger Reese. The Sky’s rookie is shooting a tick better from the field (by a staggering 2.5 percent) and is averaging .1 more steals per game than Clark.
The only thing that Reese can point to to truly try and differentiate herself from Clark is that double-double streak — no matter how manufactured it clearly is.
Hopefully, the WNBA rookie of the year voters at least recognize the farcical nature of this “streak.”
To be fair, Reese has a case to be made for the award. A double-double streak anchored by shameless stat padding should not be a part of that case.
