Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese made WNBA history Thursday as she registered her seventh consecutive double-double against the Dallas Wings -- the longest streak ever for a rookie. Reese registered 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in the 83-72 win.
"I'm just happy we finally won, and at home," Reese said in the broadcast after the game. "It's super exciting for myself. I try to give myself some grace and tell myself I'm doing a good job. But I have so much more to grow and I'm just excited to be in this league and excited to win some more."
This Barbie became the ONLY ROOKIE in league history to record 7(!!!) straight double-doubles on THIS basket#skytown pic.twitter.com/rq0oVwROaq
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) June 20, 2024
Reese came out strong and put up seven rebounds in the game's first eight minutes, six of which were defensive rebounds. She has had games in which she struggles finishing around the basket, but she was efficient on Thursday by going 7-for-13 from the field.
The former LSU Tiger just surpassed the six-game double-double streaks set by Tina Charles in 2010 and Cindy Brown in 1998. Charles' 22 double-doubles is still the rookie season record, which she set in 2010. Reese has already put up eight double-doubles and has 26 games remaining in the regular season.
7+ straight double-doubles by a rookie in the last 25 WNBA/NBA seasons:
- Blake Griffin: 3x
- Victor Wembanyama: 2x
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 2x
- Emeka Okafor: 2x
- Angel Reese
- Ben Simmons
Reese has been a well-rounded rookie contributing on both ends of the court, averaging 12.1 points and 10.2 boards per game. She ranks top five in the WNBA in rebounds, while leading everyone in offensive rebounds.
This is an impressive achievement, but Reese has been getting it done since she was playing for Kim Mulkey in college. Reese registered an NCAA single-season record of 34 double-doubles during the 2022-23 season when she averaged 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game and lifted the Tigers to their first national championship.
Sylvia Fowles, another LSU alum who put up a record 193 double-doubles during her WNBA career, nicknamed Reese "Ms. Double-Double Queen" in 2023. Indeed, she is also on pace to break the Sky's single-season offensive rebounding record Fowles set at 117 in 2013. Reese currently has 68 offensive rebounds. The WNBA single-season record is 162 set by Yolanda Griffith in 2001.
"I love Sylvia. She was a great person to me and a great mentor to me when I was at LSU," Reese said. "I know she is going to be super proud of me. Obviously I just want to do whatever it takes to win, and rebounding is what I do to win."
Arike Ogunbowale had a 31-point performance for Dallas, but her efforts were not enough. Reese was one of the Sky's four double-digit scorers on Thursday. Marina Mabrey and Chennedy Carter led the winning offense with 19 points each. Meanwhile, Dana Evans contributed with 12 points off the bench. With their win over the Wings (3-11), the Sky improved to 5-9 overall.
Up next, Reese and the Sky get another rematch against the Indiana Fever on Sunday, June 23 at 4 p.m. ET.
