The Atlanta Dream came up one win short of a WNBA championship Saturday night, falling 68-63 to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco. Afterward, forward Angel Reese said the team would be back to compete for a title again.
“It is tough in the moment, but we’ll be back,” Reese said after the loss.
Reese finished the deciding game with eight points on 3-for-7 shooting, 12 rebounds and four turnovers. She scored just one point and did not attempt a field goal in the fourth quarter as Golden State closed out the win and captured its first championship.
Gabby Williams scored 28 of her 30 points in the second half and was named Finals MVP. Reese finished with more turnovers than made baskets for a fourth consecutive game.
Despite the result, Reese said she was proud of her season and of the teammates who helped push Atlanta within one win of a title.
“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.”
She also credited her teammates with helping her grow as a player.
“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 free of ego, which she said was part of why she believes Atlanta can eventually win it all.
“There’s no egos in the locker room and nobody’s selfish. Like, everybody just wants to see each other succeed.”
“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. And that’s the winning mindset.”
Reese, who won a national championship at LSU in 2023 and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, had been a driving force earlier in the series. She combined for 51 points and 28 rebounds in Atlanta’s wins in Games 2 and 3, helping the Dream build a 2-1 lead. Before Game 4, she talked about trying to get into Golden State’s head, saying, “They’re playing into my mental game where I can take their confidence and just try to do whatever to mess them up.”
But Atlanta lost three of the next four games. Over that stretch, Reese averaged 9.5 points while shooting 12 for 45 (26.7%) from the field and committing 19 turnovers, though she kept rebounding well, averaging 12.5 boards per game.
The Dream forced a Game 7 behind a combined 44 points from Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard in Thursday’s 80-69 win. In the finale, Atlanta led by nine points midway through the third quarter before Williams took over the game. Reese’s last field goal came with 2:12 left in the third quarter, and her only point in the fourth quarter came on a free throw with 18.6 seconds remaining.
After the loss, Reese spoke about wanting to win for her teammates and for fans back in Atlanta.
“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.”
She said she’s already looking ahead to another offseason working with Dream coach Karl Smesko.
“When individually you get better in the offseason, you get better collectively,” Reese said, adding 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.”
