On Monday, the Atlanta Dream took Game 2 of the WNBA Finals in Chase Center, tying the series against the Golden State Valkyries 1-1 and earning the franchise's first Finals win. 2026 Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese recorded 30 points and 16 rebounds on the road to victory, becoming the youngest player to record such a stat line in the Finals and only the third to ever do so.
"I was hungry," Reese said of her mindset after the Dreams' Game 1 loss, in which she scored 14 points and 12 rebounds – despite the glowing stat sheet, Reese went scoreless in the second half of the game, during which the Valkyries picked up momentum and took control of the game.
"We all came together and were pissed. We felt disappointed, we felt embarrassed, and we didn't like the outcome of that last game...Whatever the team needed tonight, I was willing to do."
Given the unsavory role the media and the internet as a whole have played in Reese's career in the W so far, it would be a disservice to look at this performance in a vacuum. It was a loud statement to just about everyone: it was a statement to her teammates that she wants this championship more than anything else. A statement to the Valkyries that they will have to pry this title out of Reese's cold, dead heads. A statement to the nation that, when you actually watch basketball, it's clear that she's one of the best players in the league in just her third season.
Luckily for the young forward, her inner circle seems to be affirming her plenty. After the game, Jordin Canada, who expressed disappointment with her own performance, called Reese a generational talent. "Just to see her thrive in the Finals," she continued, "has been really special to watch...We feed off of her energy. Tonight she set the tone for sure."
With her 30/16 statline on Monday, Reese joined Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart – two legends of the game that she faced in the Dream's sweep of the Liberty in Round 2 – as the only players in WNBA history to record such numbers in the Finals. Reese told media that those two in particular told her to "go get it...continue to be you and be aggressive."
Reese has also credited players like Nneka Ogwumike, current teammates Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, and former teammates for uplifting her during her career and this season in particular. "It feels good to have vets and great people in this league and great players in this league that have poured into me and believe in me and know who I am."
Reese and the Dream head back home to play Games 3 and 4 against the Valkyries, and unless Natalie Nakase and her coaching staff can find a more efficient way to contain the 24-year-old, we could be looking at the newest WNBA Finals MVP.
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