On October 11, 2025, Angel Reese manifested a WNBA Finals appearance after failing to qualify for the playoffs with the Chicago Sky for the second time. 364 days later, her wish came true as she led the Atlanta Dream to its first WNBA Finals appearance in 13 years. She did that in some fashion by sweeping a highly experienced New York Liberty side 3-0 in the semifinals as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Such a milestone called for some celebration, and Reese delivered on that aspect for her teammates as well.

According to Page Six, Angel Reese and her teammates celebrated the occasion in none other than New York City itself, almost as if they were adding fuel to the fire after sweeping the 2024 WNBA champions at their home. The Dream went to the Sei Less restaurant, and with how Reese managed the event, it is safe to say the Bayou Barbie did not have a budget.

The 24-year-old booked an entire private room, where she and her teammates blasted music while singing and dancing the night away. Meanwhile, the food was on a similar grand scale. Reese and her teammates dined on king crab legs, lobster spoons, oxtail spring rolls, chicken satay, short rib, shrimp dumplings, to name a few.

Considering that Angel Reese and the rest of the Dream left the venue at around 3:30am ET, they enjoyed their victory celebration to the fullest. They also left a generous tip to the restaurant staff for keeping the doors open for them so late at night.

“Angel was just exhilarated to be sharing the moment with her teammates. She and her teammates were just living in the moment and grasping the reality of being in the Finals and in position to win a title,” a source told Page Six.

However, that is not the only event Reese enjoyed with her teammates after their massive victory at the Barclays Center. On Sunday, the Dream were field-side at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as the Atlanta Falcons hosted the Baltimore Ravens. The Dream were celebrated for reaching the WNBA Finals and even showed off the custom jerseys they received. To add to the occasion, Reese showed off some arm strength to the crowd.

From having locker room friction with the Chicago Sky to celebrating her first WNBA Finals appearance with her teammates, Reese has come a long way in just a year, and she has been highly appreciative of the franchise and her teammates for welcoming her and unlocking her hidden potential.

But the Dream needed Reese the same way she needed them. Head coach Karl Smesko’s side finished with the same 30-14 record last season as they did this time. However, they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Fever. It felt like the Dream hit its quality ceiling until the former LSU Tigers forward showed up.

Reese became the missing ingredient in head coach Karl Smesko’s side in record time, as Smesko himself admitted that she would be a right fit for the team before the season even started. The 24-year-old has since shattered all expectations, from breaking the single-game WNBA rebounding record with 26 and becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 rebounds to currently averaging 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds in the postseason.

While reaching the WNBA Finals is obviously a huge accomplishment, especially considering where Reese came from, one must think whether celebrating without having the trophy in your hand is premature. However, the Bayou Barbie is aware of that already, as she immediately expressed that there is more work to do after sweeping the Liberty.

Angel Reese knows that the battle is won and not the war

Following the Dream’s 85-83 victory over the Liberty in Game 3, Angel Reese took to the postgame press conference. While she expressed her happiness for reaching the WNBA Finals, she was quick to acknowledge that the team has more work to do.

“The job is not done. We’re definitely happy about where we are right now, but we’re not satisfied. I think we just continue to push every single day, get back to work,” Reese said after Game 3 against the Liberty, per the WNBA’s YouTube channel.

“But yeah, we’re going to enjoy this moment tonight. We can’t shy away from knowing that we did put a lot of work to get to this moment. I’m really proud of this group.” Reese added.

Angel Reese’s “job is not done” comment was highly reminiscent of the legendary Kobe Bryant’s words back in the 2009 NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 lead against the Orlando Magic, but Kobe’s stern expression at the postgame press conference felt like he was on the other side of the tie. When asked by a reporter whether he is unhappy to be in this situation, the Lakers legend replied back.

“What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished. Job’s finished? I don’t think so.” Kobe Bryant told the reporter.

Now that the Dream are in the WNBA Finals, it will be interesting to see how Angel Reese takes her abilities to the next level. She is already the DPOY after receiving 46 of the 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The only person to somewhat challenge her was the same player whom she will meet in the WNBA Finals, Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams, who received 20 votes.

Based on her current form, Angel Reese will have a pretty good chance of winning the Finals MVP, becoming only the third player after Tamika Catchings (2012) and A’ja Wilson (2023, 2025) to achieve this feat. October 17th cannot come any sooner for the Bayou Barbie and the Atlanta Dream.