Historic Defensive Honor for Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese has been named the 2026 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, securing the award for the first time in her career and becoming the first player in franchise history to earn the honor. Reese received 46 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, outpacing Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams, who finished second with 20 votes, and Las Vegas Aces center-forward A’ja Wilson, who placed third with four votes. Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin, Golden State guard Veronica Burton, Mystics guard Sonia Citron, and Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard each received one vote.
The accolade caps a dominant individual and team defensive campaign following Reese’s offseason move to Atlanta after spending her first two WNBA seasons with the Chicago Sky. Reflecting on her preseason ambition, Reese noted that she explicitly challenged her coaching staff to push her toward the honor. “I told my coaches earlier in the season I am going to be the Defensive Player of the Year,” Reese told ESPN, adding that she wanted daily accountability. “And here it is.”
Statistical Dominance on the Glass and Perimeter
Reese’s defensive impact was reflected across multiple major statistical categories. She led the WNBA in defensive win shares with 3.39 and ranked fourth in the league with a 100.0 individual defensive rating. According to Ballislife, Atlanta allowed 7.9 fewer points per 100 possessions when Reese was on the floor, marking the largest on/off defensive differential among the team’s rotation players. She also finished third in the league in steals per game (1.8) and total steals (77), establishing new career highs while contesting 507 field goal attempts.
On the boards, Reese established unprecedented single-season milestones. She broke the WNBA single-season rebounding record by totaling 521 rebounds, led the league with 12.1 rebounds per game, and set a new benchmark for offensive rebounds with 206. She also set a single-game record with 26 rebounds during a road victory against the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 24, and recorded a league-record 32 double-doubles across the regular season.
Team Success and Postseason Context
Reese’s individual recognition underscored a broader defensive turnaround for the Atlanta Dream, who finished the regular season with a 30-14 record and secured the No. 4 seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Atlanta ranked third in the league in defensive rating (103.5) and allowed a league-low 9.5 second-chance points per game, anchored by Reese’s relentless activity alongside perimeter defenders Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada.
Dream head coach Karl Smesko praised Reese’s positional versatility and willingness to embrace tough matchups. “She can guard any position,” Smesko said. “She’s not afraid of any challenge. She relishes these opportunities and steps up in big moments.” Reese, meanwhile, credited her teammates for their collective defensive intensity, stating that Howard and Canada deserved equal recognition for the franchise’s success. Following a first-round sweep of the Washington Mystics, the Dream advanced to face the eighth-seeded New York Liberty in the best-of-five semifinals.