Angel Reese has spent much of her career trying to outperform expectations. After being drafted seventh overall in 2024, conversations about her and Caitlin Clark have dominated WNBA player discussions, but after the Atlanta Dream’s latest playoff advancements, Reese has achieved something that none of the six players selected before her can claim, and has now caught the attention of two league veterans.
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Reese has become the first player from her draft class to advance to the WNBA Finals before any of those drafted ahead of her, ESPN pointed out in an Instagram post. She has done so before similarly accomplished players from the 2024 draft, including Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, and Reese’s former Chicago Sky teammate Kamilla Cardoso. The other players drafted ahead of her are Rickea Jackson, Jacy Sheldon, and Aaliyah Edwards.
“Put some respect on Angel Reese’s name 👏,” ESPN’s post was captioned.
Swoopes and Griner reacted to the post by liking it to show their appreciation. Both of them have supported Reese in the past.
Swoopes, a WNBA legend, has a good relationship with Reese, having appeared on her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast back in 2024. Later, in 2025, she also highlighted Reese’s rebounding, which had been singled out by critics, and pointed to how she contributes on offense with those skills.
“Angel knows from an offensive standpoint, she’s not the player that’s just gonna come down and give you 30 a night, just from running an offense,” she said during an appearance on the Gil’s Arena podcast. “People want to talk about, ‘Well, a lot of her rebounds are her own misses.’ Well box her a– out! Aren’t you taught to go follow your shot and get your rebound?”
Griner and Reese have an interesting relationship, built mainly on their on-court competition. In August 2024, after Griner’s Phoenix Mercury beat Reese’s Chicago Sky, Reese called Griner a “great player” who had been “really efficient” that night.
After Reese moved to Atlanta following the 2025 season, Griner welcomed her on social media, but the two never played together. Griner departed for the Connecticut Sun that same offseason. That respect has seemingly continued when Griner approached Reese following a 103-59 Atlanta win over Connecticut, hugging her and asking the forward to sign her shoes following a 30-point showing from Reese.
Coming back to Reese, she and Atlanta booked their trip to the finals after sweeping the New York Liberty in the semifinals, increasing their postseason record to an impressive 5-0. Reese has been a key piece throughout the run, averaging 18 points and 8.4 rebounds, while anchoring the team’s defense with 1.6 steals and 2.2 blocks.
Before the series against the Liberty, Reese was named the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year following a regular season which saw Atlanta rise to near the top of the league. Reese finished third in total steals this season.
What made Atlanta’s performance stand out even more is the fact that during Game 1 against the Liberty, the Dream lost leading scorer Allisha Gray to a hand injury, forcing her to sit out the rest of the series after 11 minutes on the floor. Perhaps those circumstances made the win even better for Reese, who was emotional in an interview after the sweep.
“When I came to Atlanta, I knew what I was getting,” she said. “This team has poured so much into me. We poured so much into each other. I posted and tweeted, 10/10/25, that I was manifesting the finals, and this is my moment. I’m supposed to be here. I thank God for this moment.”
Just a year after wishing publicly on X to make the finals, Reese has manifested it. Now, she has the opportunity to win the franchise’s first championship as they take on the Golden State Valkyries on Oct. 17 for Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals.