Angel Reese said she manifested this moment. Then she celebrated it like only she can.
After the Atlanta Dream swept the New York Liberty on Friday night to punch their ticket to the WNBA Finals, Reese reportedly treated her teammates to a celebratory dinner in New York City — a fitting cap to a night the franchise had waited 13 years for.
The party kept going on Sunday. The Dream were field-side at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the Atlanta Falcons hosted the Baltimore Ravens, and the Finals-bound squad was introduced to the crowd to a huge ovation. The players showed off custom jerseys made for the occasion, and Reese — never one to miss a moment — even showed off some arm strength while she was there.
It has been quite a first season in Atlanta for the 24-year-old. Traded from the Chicago Sky in April, Reese won the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year award, led the league with 12.1 rebounds per game, set a new single-season record with 521 boards, and averaged a career-best 16.4 points.
She saved her best for the closeout game. Reese poured in a team-high 22 points in Friday’s 85-83 Game 3 win at Barclays Center, scoring 10 in the first quarter — including two three-pointers — and added nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. It got heated along the way: she exchanged words with Sabrina Ionescu in the second quarter and drew matching technicals with Jonquel Jones later on.
The series-clincher followed her playoff career-high 23 points in Game 2, when she hit two free throws with 4.3 seconds left in overtime to seal a 99-98 win. Atlanta is now 13-0 this season in games where Reese makes a three.
The Dream did it short-handed, too. Allisha Gray missed her second straight game with a left-hand injury, though there is hope she could be ready for the Finals.
Atlanta is 5-0 this postseason and riding a 10-game winning streak into Saturday’s Game 1 at San Francisco. Reese made one thing clear after the sweep: “The job is not done.”
Sources: USA Today (Oct 12, 2026); NY Post (Oct 10, 2026); Baller Alert (Oct 10, 2026); ClutchPoints (Oct 10, 2026).