Angel Reese confirms return to Chicago Sky amid 2026 WNBA uncertainty

There's uncertainty surrounding the2026 WNBA season amid ongoing CBA negotiations, but it's business as usual forChicago SkyAll-StarAngel Reese, who made her intentions for next season clear.

"I'm under contract, so yes I plan on returning to the Sky," said Reese, who is attending Team USA training camp this weekend at Duke. Reese's blunt confirmation comes after a tumultuous end to her sophomore WNBA season, which left some wondering whether a split was on the horizon.

Reese was handed a half-game suspension on Sept. 7 for statements detrimental to the team after vocalizing her frustrations with the franchise, telling the Chicago Tribune she's "not settling for the same s--- we did this year," among other comments. She missed the remaining two games of the season due to a back injury and the Sky finished tied at the bottom of the standings at 10-34, the team's third consecutive losing season.

The two-time All-Star cleared the air on Friday in her first media availability since September.

LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese drives around South Carolina's Laeticia Amihere in the second half at Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 12, 2023.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Purdue's Rickie Woltman dribbles under the net against Maryland's Angel Reese during the fourth quarter of an NCAA women's basketball game on Feb. 25, 2021, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Purdue's Nyagoa Gony goes up for a shot against Maryland's Angel Reese during the second quarter of an NCAA women's basketball game on Feb. 25, 2021, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Maryland Terrapins head coach Brenda Frese and Angel Reese hug after their game against Northwestern at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 12, 2021.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Maryland's Angel Reese react to a call during a Big Ten conference game on Feb. 14, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Maryland's Angel Reese flexes during an NCAA Big Ten conference game against Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Feb. 14, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Maryland's Angel Reese celebrates after forcing a turnover against Iowa's Caitlin Clark during a Big Ten game on Feb. 14, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Maryland's Angel Reese and teammates celebrate after a Big Ten game against Iowa on Feb. 14, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Angel Reese: WNBA star, LSU national champion, 'Bayou Barbie' and Caitlin Clark rival

LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese drives around South Carolina's Laeticia Amihere in the second half at Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 12, 2023.

USA BASKETBALL:Paige Bueckers, 'young and turnt' rookies bring swag to Team USA camp

MORE:Caitlin Clark 'finally back to 100%' at Team USA camp after injury-filled season

Reese said she'll ride out her rookie-scale contract that could keep her with the Sky through 2027. "I'm continuing to talk to Tyler (Marsh) and building that relationship with Jeff (Pagliocca)," Reese added, referring to Sky head coach Tyler Marsh and Sky general manager Jeff (Pagliocca).

Before Reese can tipoff her third season in the league, however, the WNBA and WNBPA must agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA is now set to expire on Jan. 9, 2026 following a pair of extensions, but Reese said she's "preparing for a season as everyone else is."

"I think it's important to be really involved ... especially for me and my class going forward," Reese said. "I think everybody's very intentional about what we want. ... So I'm preparing for a season like everybody else's, but we have to come to a negotiation. It's really important for us to come to a common ground that we can all agree on. It's all fair and everybody benefits from it."

Reese said her focus for the year is "being completely healthy." Her rookie WNBA season was cut short by a hairline fracture in her wrist. She reaggravated the injury during the inaugural season of Unrivaled in March and was sidelined for the final stretch of the 2025 WNBA season with a back injury.

Reese said her back is fully recovered and "all good now."

"I recovered at the end of the season. ... Just continuing to do recovery on my whole entire body and figuring it out," Reese said. "Going into Year 3, that was my focus this offseason, just being completely healthy.

"Obviously USA is something that I'm never going to pass up on, so I had to do this, but being able to be in this moment here and embracing it, but also being healthy at the same time."

Reese is among 10 players making their senior national team debut at the Team USA training camp this weekend. Paige Bueckers dubbed the group the "young and turnt" crew, which Reese fully endorses.

"I've watched Sue (Bird) and I've watched Kara (Lawson) when they were part of the USA team and being able to walk in their footsteps I think is something that you don't take for granted," she said. "I've dreamed of playing for the Olympics and especially for LA, because I want to represent this country well."

Angel Reese is locked in, getting extra reps in after Day 1 of Camp 👏#USABWNTpic.twitter.com/Iln8QzNMRq

— WNBA (@WNBA)December 12, 2025

Team USA women's head coach Kara Lawson said she was impressed by Reese's first practice, noting that this is the first significant time she's spent up close and personal with Reese.

"I hadn't spent a lot of time with Angel before," Lawson said. "She's great. Got a great personality, works hard in the practices, wants to be good, coachable, just all of the things you would expect from a good young player, and she's physical competitive, so I thought it was great to see that. I mean, that's kind of what you expect, but it's good to see that."

Lawson said she hasn't determined how she'll utilize Reese just yet, but USA women's national team managing director Sue Bird pointed at how Reese's ability to expand her position will be beneficial to the team.

"Whether it's a post player being able to initiate an offense, whether it's guards who can use post play to their advantage. I think that's just like the modern game that we're seeing. So I love to see it," Bird said. "Anytime you can have players on the court that can do multiple things, it's so advantageous to your whole group. So to see a player like Angel (Reese) putting that in her package, I think that's great. It's great for her. It's great for us."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Angel Reese confirms return to Chicago Sky amid 2026 WNBA uncertainty

byDaniel Coleman

in

December 12, 2025

Angel Reese confirms return to Chicago Sky amid 2026 WNBA uncertainty

There's uncertainty surrounding the2026 WNBA season amid ongoing CBA negotiations, but it's business as usual for...

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Ja Morant returns to Grizzlies lineup after 10-game absence

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned to action Friday night against the Utah Jazz after missing the previous 10 games with a right calf strain.

Morant was in the starting lineup against Utah. He last played in Memphis' 108-100 loss at Cleveland on Nov. 15, scoring seven points in six minutes. He is averaging 17.9 points and 7.6 assists in 12 games this season.

The scoring average is well below his career average of 22.4 points. His shooting percentages, both overall and from 3-point range, also are down.

Memphis went 7-3 during his absence and the 10-game stretch was the longest Morant has missed this season. He sat out one game with right ankle soreness and was suspended by the team for one game after criticizing the coaching staff.

The 6-foot-2 guard is in his seventh season in the NBA, all with the Grizzlies. He was the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft after the New Orleans Pelicans selected Zion Williamson.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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Ja Morant returns to Grizzlies lineup after 10-game absence

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Blue Jays' shopping spree continues with reliever Tyler Rogers on 3-year, $37 million deal

The Toronto Blue Jays are spending like they want to reach the World Series again.

The club has agreed to a three-year, $37 million deal with free-agent reliever Tyler Rogers, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The deal reportedly includes a vesting option that would increase its value to $48 million.

Known for his funky submarine delivery, Rogers split last season between the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets. The former dealt him to the latter at the trade deadline, which didn't stop him from leading the NL in appearances by a pitcher for the fourth time in six years.

Rogers has been a dependable option throughout his career, holding a career 2.76 ERA, and his delivery is effective against both righties and lefties. Neither side of the plate has a career OPS better than .650 against him.

Signing Rogers potentially opens a door to signing his twin brother, Taylor, who is similarly effective from the left side and also a free agent. The two played together for two seasons on the Giants.

It has been a busy offseason for the Blue Jays, who finished two outs short of a World Series title in November and have been throwing around their large-market muscle so far this winter.

The Jays executed the first big-time deal of the winter withformer San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease on a seven-year, $210 million contract, thenadded another starter to their rotation with Cody Ponce after his MVP season in South Korea.

The same day they signed Rogers, they alsoannounced a five-year extension for president of baseball operations Mark Shapiro. Never say reaching a World Series isn't good for your job security (unless you work for the Houston Astros).

Including Rogers, Toronto has now spent $277 million guaranteed on three arms, with plenty of offseason to go. Star infielderBo Bichette remains a free agent they would like to have, andthey are reportedly strong contenders for the offseason's biggest free agent, Kyle Tucker.

byDaniel Coleman

in

December 12, 2025

Blue Jays' shopping spree continues with reliever Tyler Rogers on 3-year, $37 million deal

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Washington state takes stock of flooding damage as another atmospheric river looms

BURLINGTON — Floodwaters began to recede on Friday afterhistoric inundation in Washington state, but the areas hardest hit by flooding could face another wave of atmospheric river next week, and more inundation is looming.

"This situation is not over and it's not going to be over again in a couple of days," said Robert Ezelle, the director of Washington state's emergency management division, and that several river systems were expected to see another wave of moderate flooding.

For most in the state, Friday offered a respite. Officials had worried that a system of dikes along the Skagit River would fail, and potentially inundate parts of Mount Vernon, a riverside town of about 35,000.

And while the river did see record flows at Mount Vernon, both the dikes and a downtown floodwall held up. The city isn't out of the woods yet — Ezelle said the Skagit could return to a major flood stage next week.

In the nearby town of Burlington, the river did overtop a slough off the Skagit. Officials sent a warning early Friday morning to evacuate for all 11,000 Burlington residents as some neighborhoods and roadways flooded, though not all of them ultimately needed to leave.

"In the middle of the night, about a thousand people had to flee their homes in a really dire situation," Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a news conference on Friday afternoon.

The flood eventhas set records across Washington state and it prompted officials to ask about 100,000 people to evacuate this week, forced dozens of rescues and caused widespread destruction of roads and other infrastructure.

Washington state is prone to intense spells of fall rainfall, but these storms have been exceptional. The atmospheric rivers this week dumped as much as 16 inches of rain in Washington's Cascade mountains over about three days, according to National Weather Service data.

Because many rivers and streams were already running high and the soil was already saturated, the water tore through lowland communities. The Skagit River system is the third biggest on the U.S. west coast, and at Mount Vernon, this is the highest the river has ever run in recorded history.

"There has been no reported loss of life at this time," Ferguson said. "The situation is very dynamic, but we're exceedingly grateful."

By Friday afternoon, while many roadways near Burlington remained closed, parts of downtown bustled with car traffic, as national guardsmen were waving people away from road closures and curious residents were out snapping photos of the swollen Skagit. Downstream, in the town of Conway, a tree trunk and the metal siding of a trailer could be seen racing away in the current.

The dramatic week of flooding sets the stage for a difficult recovery, in a growing state that's already struggling to provide shelter to homeless residents. It's not clear how many homes have been damaged, but neighborhoods in dozens of towns and cities took on water. Recovery won't be quick — afterflooding in 2021, some residents who lost their homes were displaced for months.

President Donald Trump on Friday signed the state's request for an expedited emergency declaration, which will enable people to seek individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for things like temporary housing and home repairs. The measure will also allow state and local governments to seek federal assistance to remove debris and repair roads, bridges, water facilities and other infrastructure.

The Trump administration has made suggestions it would overhaulFEMAandprove less disaster relief to states. In left-leaning Washington, the president's pen to paper offered another an initial sigh of relief.

"One of the challenges that we've had with the administration in the past is that they don't really want to do longer term recovery," said Rep. Rick Larsen, who represents Burlington and Mount Vernon. In an interview with NBC News, Larsen added that the declaration was "an indication that they understand how disastrous this particular disaster is and we're not out of it yet."

The next atmospheric river storm on tap will likely arrive Sunday night.

Jeff Michalski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Seattle, said a few days of dry weather will allow most rivers to recede, before they begin to swell again on Tuesday, as the rainfall pulses downstream.

Lowland parts of western Washington will receive about an inch of rain during the storm; the mountains could get up to three.

"It could possibly either prolong flooding or cause renewed flooding on some of the rivers," Michalski said. "A few rivers may bump back into flood stage moving into the Tuesday, Wednesday time frame, but we're not expecting widespread major flood levels like we have seen."

After Wednesday, the forecast calls for more rain in lowland Washington and heavy snow in the Cascades.

"It does not let up," Michalski said.

Ferguson said the situation would remain "dynamic and unpredictable" over the next week.

"This is not just a one- or two- day crisis. These water levels have been historic and they're going to remain very high for an extended period of time," Ferguson said. "That puts pressure on our infrastructure. The infrastructure has, for the most part, withstood the challenge so far."

byDaniel Coleman

in

December 12, 2025

Washington state takes stock of flooding damage as another atmospheric river looms

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Court rejects Planned Parenthood's challenge to Trump-backed law ending Medicaid funding

By Nate Raymond

BOSTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that a provision of U.S. President Donald Trump's signature tax and domestic policy bill that deprives Planned Parenthood and local affiliates that perform abortions of ​Medicaid funding is not an unconstitutional punishment.

The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a preliminary injunction issued ‌in July by a lower-court judge who had concluded that the law likely violated the U.S. Constitution by targeting Planned Parenthood's health centers as punishment for ‌providing abortions.

Planned Parenthood says at least 20 health centers have closed since Trump signed the measure into law in July. The appeals court allowed it to take effect in September while it considered the administration's appeal of U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani's injunction.

Talwani recently in a different case also blocked the law's enforcement in 22 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia that had also challenged it on different ⁠grounds. But the appeals court has temporarily stayed ‌that ruling while it considers whether to lift her injunction while it reviews that case.

Alexis McGill Johnson, who heads Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in a statement said Friday's ruling enables the Trump administration's "attempts ‍to block access to care for patients most in need and force Planned Parenthood health centers to the financial brink."

At issue is a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by the Republican-led Congress, that bars Medicaid funding for non-profits that provide family planning services if ​they perform abortions and received more than $800,000 from the government healthcare program during the 2023 fiscal year.

In preventing the U.S. Department ‌of Health and Human Services from enforcing the law in July, Talwani held that it amounted to a "bill of attainder" designed to punish Planned Parenthood for providing abortions.

A bill of attainder is a legislative act prohibited by the Constitution that seeks to inflict punishment on a person or group without a trial.

But U.S. Circuit Judge Gustavo Gelpi, writing for a panel of three judges appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, said the law "simply does not impose 'punishment' as the term has been historically understood."

"It instead uses Congress' taxing and ⁠spending power to put appellees to a difficult choice: give up federal ​Medicaid funds and continue to provide abortion services or continue receiving such funds ​by abandoning the provision of abortion services," Gelpi said.

The administration on appeal had argued there was nothing unlawful about Congress enacting a law restricting Medicaid funding from flowing to major providers of abortion after the ‍6-3 conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court ⁠in a landmark 2022 ruling overturned the nationwide right to terminate pregnancies.

Talwani had also blocked the law's implementation on the grounds that it burdened the right of some Planned Parenthood affiliates that do not provide abortions to associate with their ⁠parent organization in likely violation of the Constitution's First Amendment, which protects the right to free speech.

But the 1st Circuit overturned that holding, narrowly construing the ‌law to cover only affiliates to the extent they operate under common corporate control with prohibited entities.

(Reporting by ‌Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lisa Shumaker)

byDaniel Coleman

in

December 12, 2025

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