Angel Reese named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year after standout first season with Dream

Reese has excelled in Atlanta after being traded by the Chicago Sky Oct 1, 2026 at 3:45 pm ET • 2 min read Angel Reese has been named the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced on Thursday. This is a first for Reese, who is in her third year in the league, and the first time an Atlanta Dream player has won the award in the franchise's history.This season, Reese was third in the WNBA in steals per game (1.8) and total steals (77), first in total rebounds per game (12.1) and third in total defensive rebounding (315). She set multiple WNBA rebounding records, including becoming the first player to reach 500 rebounds in a season before ending the regular season with 521. She also set the league records for most offensive rebounds in a season (206) and single-game rebounds (26). Reese received 46 votes from a national panel of 74 sportswriters and broadcasters. Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries was in second place with 20 votes, followed by A'ja Wilson with four votes. Shakira Austin, Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron and Rhyne Howard, Reese's Dream teammate, received one vote each.PlayerTeamVotesAngel ReeseDream46Gabby WilliamsValkyries20A'ja WilsonAces4Shakira AustinMystics1Veronica Burton Valkyries1Sonia CitronMystics1Rhyne HowardDream1Reese has excelled in first season in AtlantaReese has been a defensive force since she entered the league as the No. 7 overall pick by the Chicago Sky in 2024. In her rookie year, she set the single-season rebounding record and was named a WNBA All-Star. She also led the league in rebounds and received an All-Star nod in her second year. But after missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year, she expressed frustrations with the direction of the Chicago franchise. In the offseason, she was traded to the Dream, a team that had the third-best record in the WNBA in 2025. She has flourished in Atlanta, averaging a career-high 16.4 points per game and setting a single-season record for double-doubles with 32. She was once again an All-Star and finished the year earning three straight Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards. Reese was overcome with emotion when her mom presented her with the award as her teammates cheered."I'm so grateful for you guys," Reese said through tears. "You guys have always been there for me and push me every single day and I'm so grateful. I'm just happy to be in Atlanta and I want to finish this off the right way, because I think we deserve it." The Dream had the third-best defensive rating (103.5) and allowed the lowest number of second-chance points (9.5) in the league. They finished the season 30-14, secured the No. 4 seed and swept the No. 5 Washington Mystics in the first round of the WNBA playoffs to make it to the semifinals for the first time since 2018. The Dream will have home-court advantage in the best-of-five semifinal series against the New York Liberty beginning on Sunday, Oct. 4.