SAN FRANCISCO – Angel Reese is already looking toward another championship run after the Atlanta Dream fell one win short of a title Saturday night.
“It is tough in the moment, 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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ANGEL REESE, ATLANTA DREAM FALL SHORT IN GAME 7 AS GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES WIN FIRST WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP
Reese finished with eight points on 3-for-7 shooting, 12 rebounds and four turnovers. She scored one point and did not attempt a field goal in the fourth quarter as Golden State secured its first championship.
Angel Reese vowed the Atlanta Dream would return after their WNBA Finals Game 7 loss to Golden State, which held her 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 consecutive game with more turnovers than made baskets.
But afterward, Reese said she remained proud of her season and grateful for the teammates who helped Atlanta get within one victory of a championship.
“I’m really proud of the year that I had,” Reese said. “I mean, I’ve done a lot of great things this year, but I wouldn’t be able to do it without this group.”
“I’m a young player and I’m very vocal, but I think they really helped me a lot mature in different ways that I haven’t really been challenged,” Reese said. “And they really challenged me to be better every single day.”
Reese described a locker room where players supported one another’s accomplishments.
“There’s no egos in the locker room and nobody’s selfish,” she said. “Like, everybody just wants to see each other succeed.”
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That, Reese argued, was a reason to believe Atlanta could eventually finish the job.
“When you have a team like that, I’ve been a part of 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 the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Famously, she taunted Iowa star Caitlin Clark as the clock wound down on her team’s victory.
Angel Reese taunts Caitlin Clark during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game. (Getty Images)
Reese combined for 51 points and 28 rebounds in Atlanta’s victories in Games 2 and 3, helping the team build a 2-1 series lead.
Before Game 4, she spoke about getting into Golden State’s head.
“They’re playing into my mental game where I can take their confidence and just try to do whatever to mess them up,” Reese said.
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Atlanta lost three of the next four games. Over that stretch, Reese averaged 9.5 points while shooting 12 for 45 (26.7%) and committing 19 turnovers. She continued to rebound, averaging 12.5 per game, but her scoring dropped sharply from the two victories that put Atlanta ahead.
The Dream forced Game 7 behind Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard’s combined 44 points in Thursday’s 80-69 win. In the deciding game, Atlanta led by nine midway through the third quarter before Williams took over.
Reese’s last field goal came with 2:12 remaining in the third. Her only point in the fourth came at the foul line with 18.6 seconds left.
Angel Reese credited Dream head coach Karl Smesko for helping her to grow as a player in her first season with Atlanta. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Following the loss, she spoke about how much she had wanted to win for her teammates and Atlanta’s supporters.
“I love these girls. I love the coaches,” Reese said. “I think it also sucks because our fan base back home poured into us so much this year, and we really wanted to do it for them, but we’re forever grateful.”
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She also expressed enthusiasm about another offseason working with Dream coach Karl Smesko.
“When individually you get better in the offseason, you get better collectively,” Reese said, and then added 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 that we won’t be champions in the future,” she said.