Angel Reese saw her third WNBA season come to a painful end on Saturday night, as the Atlanta Dream dropped a 68-63 decision to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals. Even through the disappointment, the forward, who was traded from the Chicago Sky to Atlanta in April, made clear how much the Dream organization and her teammates meant to her after the best season of her young career.
"They changed my life, and I'm just so grateful for them, and I'm so thankful for them," she said. "And it is tough in the moment, but we'll be back. And I always say delayed, not denied, and this is only Year 3."
Reese's individual campaign was decorated. She was named Defensive Player of the Year, earned her third All-Star selection and landed on the All-WNBA second team, a combination that makes her eligible for the EPIC extension. Along the way, she set the league's single-season rebounding record, the single-season double-double record and the single-game rebounding record.
Her offensive game also took a significant step forward under Dream coach Karl Smesko, who worked directly with Reese to re-make her shot over the course of the season.
Game 7, however, was a struggle. Reese finished with just eight points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, going 1 of 3 from beyond the arc and 1 of 3 at the free throw line. She pulled down 12 rebounds, nine of them on the offensive end, and added one assist, one steal and two blocks, but her four turnovers proved costly. She did not attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and got to the line only once in the final frame.
It was the kind of performance that could linger through the offseason, but Reese chose to frame the night within a bigger picture. "I'm really proud of the year that I had. I mean, I've done a lot of great things this year, but I wouldn't be able to do it without this group," she said. "We've won a lot of great games, and to come all the way to the Finals with this group, I mean, it says a lot. Not a lot of people have this opportunity to do it. And, like I said, I'd do it all over again with this same group, just battling with them every single day, I love these girls. I love the coaches."
Reese also noted the sting of falling short for the fans. "I think it also sucks because our fan base back home poured into us so much this year, and we really wanted to do it for them. But we're forever grateful, and like I said, we'll be back."
Across the series, Reese averaged 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game and recorded four double-doubles. She delivered a record-setting 30-point, 16-rebound performance in Game 2 and followed with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Game 4. At the same time, she was held to eight or fewer points in three of the Dream's four losses.
Reese is now looking ahead to a full offseason working with Smesko and further learning the Dream's system, confident that her first playoff run will fuel her growth. After two years in Chicago marked by off-court change and roster turnover, she has found stability and success in Atlanta. "Honestly, I really enjoy just being around a group of girls that just come to work every day and want to work and want to get better, and they push me to be better," she said. "I'm a young player and I'm very vocal, but I think they really help me mature in different ways that I haven't really been challenged."
