A day after helping the Atlanta Dream win their first playoff series in eight years, Angel Reese was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2026 season.
The WNBA announced voting results for the award on Thursday, with Reese receiving 46 votes out of 74, beating Gabby Williams (20 votes), A’ja Wilson (four votes), Shakira Austin (two votes), Veronica Burton (one vote) and Rhyne Howard (one vote).
Reese responded to the honor by posting a video on social media:
Reese joined the Dream during the offseason after being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Sky for two first-round draft picks. She responded to the change of scenery with arguably the best season of her career.
The 24-year-old was one of two players to average a double-double in the regular season, along with Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard. She set career highs in scoring average (16.4 points) and steals (1.8) in 43 starts.
Reese ranked among the top four players this season in defensive rating (100.0), defensive rebounding percentage (30.3) and total defensive rebounds (315). She led the league in defensive win shares (3.4).
Atlanta finished second in defensive rating and fifth in points allowed per game during the regular season. The Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries and Washington Mystics were the only other teams in the top five in both categories.
Reese is the first Dream player to be named Defensive Player of the Year. She is also the first player from an Eastern Conference club to win the award since Sylvia Fowles with the Sky in 2013.
The Dream had the best record in the Eastern Conference and tied the franchise record with 30 regular season wins. They swept the Mystics in the first round of the playoffs to reach the semifinals for the first time since the current playoff format was adopted in 2022.
Gn sports
