In her debut campaign with the franchise, Angel Reese delivered exactly what the Atlanta Dream required and then some. Currently, she possesses the trophy to validate her impact.
The WNBA announced on Thursday that Reese has captured the Defensive Player of the Year award, securing 46 out of the 74 cast votes.
Securing second place behind Reese was Gabby Williams, who gathered 20 votes, while A’ja Wilson, a three-time recipient of the accolade, placed third with four votes.
Although Reese is widely regarded as one of basketball’s legendary rebounders—having topped the league in rebounds during all three of her active seasons—defensive accolades eluded her until 2026. Prior to this year, her prowess on the boards had never translated into a spot on a WNBA All-Defensive team or any votes for the premier defensive award.
Predictably, her rebounding dominance paved the way for this milestone, with Reese pacing the WNBA at 12.3 rebounds per contest. Her historic season included breaking two records: most total rebounds in a single season (521) and most offensive rebounds in a single campaign (206). Furthermore, she established a new single-game high by grabbing 26 rebounds during an August matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Yet, her influence extended far deeper, as emphasized by the WNBA in their official announcement of her victory.
Reese’s defensive contributions were unmistakable by any metric. She wrapped up the regular season leading the WNBA in Defensive Win Shares (3.39) and ranking fourth in defensive rating (100.0). Additionally, Atlanta’s defense surrendered 7.9 fewer points per 100 possessions whenever she was on the court, representing the most significant defensive on/off disparity among the Dream’s regular contributors.
This achievement also marks Reese as the very first athlete in the history of the Dream franchise to claim the honor.
The Dream’s status as one of the league’s top-performing teams was heavily driven by Reese’s stellar play. Now that the regular season has concluded and her individual trophy is secured, she turns her attention toward pursuing a championship ring to round out her campaign.
