Angel Reese after Atlanta Dream’s disappointing loss in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals: ‘We’ll be back’

SAN FRANCISCO – Angel Reese is already looking at another championship run after the Atlanta Dream fell one win short of the title Saturday night.

“It’s tough right now, but we’ll be back,” Reese said after the Dream’s 68-63 loss to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center.

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Reese finished with eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, 12 rebounds and four turnovers. She scored a point and did not attempt a field goal in the fourth quarter as Golden State won its first championship.

Angel Reese promised Atlanta’s dream would return after its Game 7 loss of the WNBA Finals to Golden State held it to eight points in the deciding game. (Getty Images)

Gabby Williams scored 28 of her 30 points in the second half and was named Finals MVP. Reese finished a fourth straight game with more turnovers than field goals made.

But afterward, Reese said she remains proud of her season and grateful to her teammates who helped Atlanta move closer to winning a championship.

“I’m really proud of the year I had,” Reese said. “I mean, I’ve done a lot of great things this year, but I couldn’t do it without this group.”

“I’m a young player and I talk a lot, but I think they’ve really helped me mature in different ways without really being challenged,” Reese said. “And they really challenged me to get better every day.”

Reese described a locker room where players supported each other.

“There are no egos in the locker room and no one is selfish,” she said. “Everyone just wants to see themselves succeed.”

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That, Reese argued, was reason to believe Atlanta could eventually finish the job.

“When you have a team like that, I’ve been on some teams and I know what it takes to win a championship,” she said. “And that’s the winning mindset.”

Reese won a national championship at LSU in 2023 and was named Final Four MVP. Famously, she taunted Iowa star Caitlin Clark as the clock ticked down on her team’s victory.

Angel Reese taunts Caitlin Clark during the championship game of the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball tournament. (Getty Images)

Reese had 51 points and 28 rebounds in Atlanta’s wins in Games 2 and 3, helping the team take a 2–1 series lead.

Before Game 4, she talked about getting into Golden State’s head.

“They play with my mental game where I can take their trust and try to do anything to mess with them,” Reese said.

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Atlanta lost three of the next four games. During that stretch, Reese averaged 9.5 points while shooting 12 of 45 (26.7%) and committing 19 turnovers. She continued to bounce back, averaging 12.5 per game, but her scoring dropped sharply from the two wins that gave Atlanta the lead.

The Dream forced Game 7 behind Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard’s combined 44 points in Thursday’s 80-69 victory. In the deciding game, Atlanta led by nine midway through the third quarter before Williams took over.

Reese’s final basket came with 2:12 left in the third. His only point in the fourth came at the foul line with 18.6 seconds left.

Angel Reese thanked Dream head coach Karl Smesko for helping her grow as a player during her first season with Atlanta. (Sportswire Icon via Getty Images)

After the loss, she spoke about how much she had wanted to win for her teammates and the Atlanta fans.

“I love these girls. I love the coaches,” Reese said. “I think it sucks too because our fans back home have flocked to us so much this year, and we really wanted to do it for them, but we will be forever grateful.”

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She also expressed excitement about another offseason working with Dream coach Karl Smesko.

“When we improve individually in the offseason, we improve collectively,” Reese said, before adding that she was “looking forward to another year under Karl and his development and his system.”

“Just because we didn’t win today doesn’t mean we won’t be champions in the future,” she said.