Angel Reese wins WNBA Defensive Player of Year — SkimNews
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- Angel Reese won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year with 46 of 74 votes, making her the first Atlanta Dream player ever to claim the award; Golden State's Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes
- Reese set WNBA single-season records with 500 rebounds and 32 double-doubles, plus the single-game rebounding record of 26 against the Los Angeles Sparks
- Reese averaged a league-best 12.3 rebounds and 16.4 points per game, one of just two players league-wide to average a double-double
- The Dream limited opponents by 7.9 points per 100 possessions when Reese was on the floor — the second-best defensive differential among players with at least 500 minutes, and Atlanta finished with the WNBA's third-best team defense
- Reese ranked third in the league in steals per game (1.8) behind Dream teammates Rhyne Howard (2.3) and Jordin Canada (1.9), and led the WNBA in opponent turnover percentage differential
- After sweeping the Washington Mystics in the first round of the playoffs, the Dream will face the New York Liberty in the semifinals — Atlanta's first semifinal appearance since 2018
Why it matters: Reese's individual award validates a team transformation: the Dream posted the WNBA's third-best defense and reached their first semifinal since 2018 after sweeping Washington. Her 500-rebound season came in her first year in Atlanta, and teammate Rhyne Howard led the league in steals, reinforcing a defense stacked with multiple elite individual defenders.
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