There was a sense of confusion on the court Tuesday night when Sky rookie Angel Reese was ejected with 2:31 left in the game.
As Reese headed to the locker room, Liberty players and teammates looked around in shock.
From the media table, it looked like nothing happened. In fact, it looked like nothing happened. The broadcast revealed that after Reese was called for a common foul on WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, she said something to the official and then, guess what, waved her hand in denial.
Apparently, that was too much for Officer Charles Watson, who first fined Rees for “disrespectful language” and then gave him a second fine (and automatic ejection) for making a gesture that could be mistaken for a greeting on the street.
A WNBA spokesman told the Sun-Times that the league had already reduced the punishment by Wednesday afternoon, vacating Reese’s second technical foul and reducing her fine, originally set at $400, to $200.
“The umpire who called it out [Reese] Weak [by the way,]”I know who I am,” Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, sitting courtside with Patrick Williams and Darren Terry, said at the X. [your] Money, Angel, I’ll help you.”
The umpire who called it out translation: BTW weak…you know who you are (angels protect your money)
— Lonzo Ball (@ZO2_) June 5, 2024
The Sky were down nine points at the time of Reese’s ejection, so it’s hard to imagine her presence on the court affected the outcome of the match, but the message sent by the umpire’s lax decision is far more reprehensible.
The league’s decision to overturn the call reflects that.
Sky coach Theresa Weatherspoon said after the game that the officials refused to provide a clear explanation for Tuesday night’s call, which the Sky had planned to appeal before news broke that the second technical foul had been overturned.
Six-year veteran guard Marina Mabry spoke about the learning curve for rookies getting to know the officials and how they react to things, but the obvious question here is how this call would have been handled if it had been made by another player, specifically a veteran like Diana Taurasi, or on another team.
The Sky were coming off a game in which a flagrant 1 by Chennedy Carter against Fever guard Caitlin Clark went uncalled. Was Tuesday’s call an attempt to call a strict game or something more controversial, like humiliating a young rookie?
“Rees was disrespectful to the referee after being adjudged to have hit Jones in the arm on a rebound,” referee Major Forsberg told pool reporters on Tuesday night.
Asked specifically what Rees said, Forsberg said no.
“Reese then shook off the official in frustration at the call and was assessed a second technical foul,” Forsberg continued.
Reese’s indignation got her ejected, which is pretty comical considering how much dissatisfaction there is with WNBA officiating among players and coaching staff.
“We’re trying not to get fined,” Fever coach Christy Sides whispered Saturday before answering a question about a missed foul call against Clark this season.
Not only are coaches and players not allowed to publicly criticise umpires’ calls in press conferences without risking a fine, but Watson’s call on Rees (although overturned) suggests that players need to be as lenient as he was with his calls.
Maybe someone should remind the WNBA officials that this isn’t about them, and that hurt feelings are not strong grounds for a technical.
