Angel Reese showed everyone what a real leader looks like as she answered questions from the press following the Atlanta Dreams 68-63 loss to the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals.
Despite the crushing loss, Reese held her head high and praised the play, work ethic and determination of her teammates. Having made it to the WNBA Finals in just her first season with the Dream, Reese and the team were more than just a good fit, they were destiny fulfilled.
“It’s always hard, especially with a great group that I’ve had the honor to battle with all year,” she said. “They changed my life and I am just so grateful for them, so thankful for them. And it is tough in the moment but we’ll be back. I always say delayed, not denied. It’s only year three, they got a lot more years left too. I’m just really grateful that I got to go to war with this team. And I’d do it all over again.
Reese had a year for the history books, including playing in the league’s first ever Game 7 in Finals history. She broke the double double records in both the regular season and the playoffs while notching her first Defensive Player of the Year Award too. In just her third year in the WNBA, she proved herself to be one of the best players on both sides of the ball as well as an effective leader for her team. She also showed the league that she is one of the more coachable talents in basketball, never failing to compliment the Dream’s coach Karl Smesko for both her own improvements but also the team’s overall success.
“When individually you get better in the offseason, you get better collectively, and you can see that Karl puts a lot of work in,” Reese said. “I’m sure he’s going to see all of us this offseason, and I’m honestly looking forward to another year under Karl and his development and his system.
The Dream and Valkyries matchups drew historic numbers as the eyes of the sports world, once again, turned to women’s sports. For the team in Atlanta, it also cemented their popularity as they quickly outgrew the Gateway Center Arena, which held only 7,000 fans, and played all of their games at the State Farm Arena which is usually occupied by the Atlanta Hawks and seats 16,000. The Dream also brought out a ton of celebrities with big names like Usher, Monica, TI and others pulling up to show their support.
Despite their loss, Reese and the Dream defied all of the odds of the season together. They’ll likely be on everyone’s radar next season as they’ve shown themselves to be a real force in the Eastern conference. The WNBA season will kick off again next spring but an official date has not been announced. The WNBA draft; however, is scheduled for April 12, where a new batch of players will be introduced to the league’s fanbase.
