"Leave Satou Sabally and take Angel Reese" - WNBA fans intrigued over Phoenix Mercury's double post on Chicago Sky star

The Phoenix Mercury showed much love to Chicago Sky star Angel Reese on Sunday. Before the game started, the Mercury social media team featured Reese with Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas. After the final buzzer, the Mercury posted another photo featuring the trio.

Fans promptly reacted to Reese being a staple in the Mercury’s X (formerly Twitter) posts:

One fan wondered:

Another fan added:

One more fan continued:

Another fan reacted:

Satou Sabally did not travel to Chicago for personal reasons. Without her, the Mercury could not promote her in their social media posts. Instead, the Mercury maximized Angel Reese's interactions with Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas.

The Mercury-Sky game in Chicago was quite significant for Copper. She played for a few seasons with the Sky and helped the team to the 2021 championship, where she was named finals MVP. Her interactions with Reese, the franchise player, were featured by the Mercury for their highlights.

Angel Reese linking up with Alyssa Thomas was not a surprising highlight for the Mercury. Reese and Thomas spent time in Indiana roughly two weeks ago as part of Team Collier for the 2025 WNBA All-Star game. Sunday was their first time together since they helped Napheesa Collier’s team to a resounding win over Team Clark.

Still, the Phoenix Mercury featured Reese more than some of their players, including DeWanna Bonner, Sami Whitcomb and Natasha Mack. Some fans could not help but be intrigued by the Mercury’s interest in an opposing player.

Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas put on a show in front of injured Angel Reese

Angel Reese sat out her second straight game due to a back injury. Without her, Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas put on a show to lead the Phoenix Mercury to a comfortable 83-67 win over the Chicago Sky.

Copper finished with a game-high 25 points. She regained her stroke after struggling with her shots over the past few games. The former Sky fan favorite went 8-for-14, including 4-for-6 from behind the arc.

Meanwhile, Thomas dominated with her all-around brilliance. She put up 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and one steal. The Mercury offense hummed, even without Satou Sabally, because of Thomas.

The Mercury started slow, trailing 19-13 in the first quarter. They regrouped to throttle the home team in the next three quarters to cruise to a comfortable win. Angel Reese remained engaged on the sidelines, but she could not help the Mercury onslaught led by Copper and Thomas.

About the author

Michael Macasero brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his coverage of basketball at Sportskeeda with over 18 years of diverse work experience. This includes stints at Convergys, Interpace and RunRepeat.

Michael's background in English and Journalism has provided him with the analytical skills and precision necessary for creating content, and he is a lifelong fan of the Boston Celtics. His favorite players include legends like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, modern stars like Tim Duncan, and Nikola Jokic, as well as emerging talent like Victor Wembanyama.

Michael respects Gregg Popovich, despite his contentious demeanor in interviews, and recognizes Popovich's genius in adapting his coaching style to maximize the talent on his roster over the years. Michael eagerly anticipates seeing how Popovich will structure the offense around emerging talent like Victor Wembanyama.

Understanding the story and details is crucial to Michael's reporting philosophy and he believes overlooking details, particularly when pressed for time, can lead to misunderstandings and inaccurate conclusions.

Aside from work, Michael's children are his hobbies, and he also likes to go running, swimming and weightlifting.

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Edited by Michael Macasero