Angel Reese undergoing surgery as she reveals injury could threaten career

Rookie sensation Angel Reese says she has decided to have season-ending surgery to avoid the risk of a career-threatening issue.

The Chicago Sky forward hurt her wrist in Friday's victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, and scans have confirmed she has a hairline fracture. The injury brings the No. 7 overall draft pick's historic rookie campaign to an end, finishing with the highest rebound average in the league's history at 13.1 per game.

The 22-year-old also set a WNBA record after recording 15 consecutive double-doubles earlier in the season. She finishes the year with 26 double-doubles, the second most in the history of the league.

Doctors advised Reese that surgery was not essential, but when she was presented with the risks of not addressing the injury in the operating room, she told her millions of social media followers that she felt like she had no choice but to go under the knife.

"Let me just answer a few questions as y'all keep asking and I just want you to have some clarity over what's going on with me," the former LSU standout posted on TikTok. "So, y'all know I hurt my wrist. I am out for the season. I fell on my hand when I got the and-one. I fell back on my hand and it is a small crack in my bone.

"Basically, the doctors told me I could not get surgery or I could have surgery. The risk of not having surgery is I could have arthritis at literally 22 years old and that wasn't on option. The bone could also crack and shatter.

"Right now it is a hairline [fracture], not even that big, and they're going to put a small screw in it. I wasn't going for it getting any bigger, and long term I could have not played anymore because this place is a very hard place to heal because the blood flow is little to none.

"That wasn't an option, so I'm getting surgery on Tuesday and I'm going to be in a hard cast for four weeks and a soft cast for two weeks. So in six weeks, I will be back to doing my own thing, my normal life."

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The premature end to Reese's debut campaign is a significant blow to the Sky's hopes of making the playoffs. The team holds the final playoff spot after Sunday's victory over the Dallas Wings, but the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics are hot on their tails as the regular season nears its conclusion.

The injury also harms Reese's chance of landing the WNBA Rookie of the Year crown ahead of Caitlin Clark, with his former rival in the collegiate ranks enjoying a stellar year with the Indiana Fever.