The Dream were up as many as nine points in Game 7 of the 2026 WNBA Finals, but Gabby Williams led the way to help the Golden State Valkyries win the WNBA Championship. It's an opportunity Atlanta might not get again.
The Dream certainly didn't feel that way after the game, and Angel Reese optimistically told reporters that her team would be back. History would prove the All-Star correct.
The New York Liberty is a recent example of a team that lost the 2023 WNBA Finals but returned to win the 2024 WNBA Finals. Also, Atlanta has proven resilient in franchise history, with three appearances in the WNBA Finals in four years, from 2010 to 2013.
However, the league's continue growth and trajectory could write a new history for the WNBA.
This was a competitive season, and it will only continue to be in future years
Atlanta finished this season as the No. 4 seed. Four games separated the Dream from the No. 8 seed New York Liberty. That showed how tight playoff seeding was, and there's no reason to believe it won't continue to be.
The salary cap will increase season over season, which means there will be more competitive bidding battles for high-level free agents. Kelsey Mitchell and Naphessa Collier are All-Star players who could make a huge impact for any team they sign with.
Golden State set the bar high for expansion teams, winning a title in just their second season. However, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo were much more competitive on the court than their records indicated. Portland also showed teams that there are other edges to be found that could be successful in the WNBA when it comes to international scouting and analytics.
Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia will shake up the league through expansion drafts, so it's no guarantee Atlanta can keep some of its core role players. There's also the growing talent pool in college, which will give a boost to the lower-tier franchises.
There's also the expanded regular season, so all of those factors will make it tougher for everyone to achieve sustained success.
On paper, the Dream should be one of the top teams again. Their core four are still in their prime and playing at a high level, and Karl Smesko is a great head coach. However, the beauty of sports is that success is not guaranteed.
Players like Angel McCoughtry and Alyssa Thomas are all-time greats who were part of strong title-chasing teams. However, McCoughtry never won a title, and while Thomas had a chance in 2025, she feels farther and farther away from a championship because of the talent in the WNBA.
The majority of Reese's career has been defined by proving people wrong. How she and the Dream respond to losing Game 7 amid an ever-growing league will define their legacies in the WNBA.
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