Fresh off another double-double, Angel Reese's tenure with the Atlanta Dream has gotten off to a heavenly—and historic—start.
Angel Reese's time with the Atlanta Dream has been downright peachy in the early going.
Reese swept the major categories in the Dream's latest win, an 86-66 dousing of the Portland Fire on Friday night in the Pacific Northwest. The first-year Georgian put up 18 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, 10 tallies alone coming in a second half that saw Atlanta (5-2) inflate a seven-point halftime lead.
With such a box score in her 71st career game, Reese earned not only the 53rd double-double of her career but also she has also reached 900 points and rebounds faster than any player in league history. She earned the magic mark when she salvaged an Allisha Gray miss and got to the foul line before head coach Karl Smesko removed his primary women from the affair.
Reese Won't Cease In New Home
Reese's move from Chicago to Atlanta was one of the most talked-about moves of the brief yet eventful WNBA offseason: upon the swap with the Sky, Reese joined an Atlanta group looking to atone for a franchise-best record that gave way to an opening-round exit. Reese joined incumbents Gray, Jordin Canada, Naz Hillmon, and Rhyne Howard in that quest while the Dream drafted Madina Okot as her backup in the opening round of the last draft.
While Reese has faced some flack for keep her shots close (and, apparently, her opponents closer), no one in Atlanta is complaining about the early returns.
At 11 rebounds per game, she and keeping up Atlanta's interior numbers despite the Dream losing both Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones to Connecticut and an international injury respectively. Reese also ranks fifth in defensive ranking among the busiest women on the ledgers (min. 30 mins, five games played) and is also working on enhanced facilitation, dishing out 14 assists over the last three games (including a young season-best five in each of her last two showings).
"I think she's someone we want to be able to handle the ball and make decisions with it," Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko said after Friday's win. "She was looking to share it even when she got the ball on the short roll. She was looking to kick it out. We're just looking for her to make the right decisions. Sometimes it'll be to go to the basket and finish it, if that's the advantage. If they're sending two at her, it'll be move it to our shooters. It's all about making the right basketball play based on what the defense is doing."
Angel Reese tonight:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) May 30, 2026
18 PTS
12 REB
5 AST
4 TO
6-14 FG
6-7 FT
Dream beat the Fire by 20 in Portland. pic.twitter.com/F2YBx3EeLT
Shaq Backs Reese
Already one of the league's most polarizing players, Reese's interior residency will likely cause further consternation: over 90% of her tries from the field come from no more than 10 feet from the basket, suggesting a relatively archaic approach to the game. She's shooting just under 41% entering the weekend, five points lower than what she shot last year.
Her work in the paint, however, is perhaps perfect for Atlanta's sharpshooting tendencies, providing interior insurance that might've been lost with Griner's departure and Jones' lasting injury problems.
Reese's work has earned at least one prominent, if not similarly-skilled, backer in Hall-of-Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, who hacked her critics in a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" earlier this week. O'Neal has been a mentor to Reese through their shared work at both Louisiana State University and Reebok's basketball division.
"I wish I could punch some of these guys in the face, who pick on my Angel," O'Neal said to fill-in host Suzy Shuster, also lauding fellow interior mentee Lauren Betts of the Washington Mystics. "Enough is enough. The problem with you guys' profession now is you're letting amateurs come in and amateurs think they have the same rates as you guys have. You're letting all these guys come in and they just say stuff off the wall."
"It's just a lot of nonsense, a lot of embarrassment, and a lot of bullying sometimes. Guys bullying guys is fine. But I can't let you just bully females just so you can get likes."
Reese gets a little time to bask in her latest accomplishment, as Atlanta returns to action on Tuesday night against the Connecticut Sun (7:30 p.m. ET, Peachtree TV).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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