“Your three-time WNBA All-Star, future Defensive Player of the Year and future MVP of the league, Angel Reese.”
It’s how the communications manager for the Dream introduces Reese to the media before each and every scrum.
It’s his job, of course, to hype up his own players. He does it for all of them. But when he does it for Reese, it resonates more.
Perhaps it’s because she has made the All-Star game in all three of her WNBA seasons.
Perhaps it’s because her numbers have continued to improve each year in the league.
Perhaps it’s because it’s who she is, and wherever she goes, heads turn.
Or, perhaps, it’s because Angel Reese puts the A in Atlanta as the city’s biggest sports star.
The Dream have had stars in the past – Angel McCoughtry, Sancho Lyttle, Tiffany Hayes, Elizabeth Williams – and stars of the present – Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones – but there is a difference when it comes to having a star on the court and having a superstar off of the court.
That’s what Reese has been for the Dream through the first half of her first season with the team – a true superstar on and off of the court.
From Day 1 of training camp, Reese entered the organization with one goal – to focus on basketball.
If you try to talk to her about her off-court ventures, she might indulge you. She’ll mention, in passing, her acting, her modeling, her shoes, and other ventures, but if you want to get her fully locked in and engaged, it’ll happen in one of three ways: talking about basketball, talking about Atlanta, and talking about her teammates.
“I’m just really happy. I mean I have a lot of joy just being able to be here, being surrounded by so many great people, and every day I just show up to work, and I don’t have to think about anything else,” Reese said to reporters before the Dream’s July 19 game against the Chicago Sky. “That’s probably the best thing is just being able to show up to work and take care of my job.”
The support that she shows her teammates is what she’s always done. Yes, she’s vocal, but it’s because she wants to win.
It’s something that didn’t happen during her first two years in the league when she was a member of the Sky. But with Atlanta, winning wasn’t just the hope, but the expectation. It’s why Reese had the Dream as a destination that she wanted to go to. It was also because the Dream had players that she could pour into, but also because the team had players and a coaching staff that could also fill her cup up, too.
“Angel brings a lot to this team,” Jordin Canada told The IX Sports. “She brings that energy. She brings that grit, that tough mentality.”
From Day 1, Reese said that one of the key factors for her wanting to join the Dream was being able to play with Howard and Gray – the two other All-Star representatives for the team this year. Prior to Reese coming to Atlanta, she had a close relationship with Howard and Gray already established. However, having a relationship established is different than being teammates with players in a ride-or-die situation for a 44-game season.
“They’re great vets,” Reese told The IX Sports about Howard and Gray. “Outside of the basketball stuff, they always are making sure that I’m good. Like they’re the first people to check on me with anything that’s going on. Basketball-wise, you don’t have to do it once the game is done, they don’t have to talk, because this is a business, honestly. But they genuinely care about me and the sisterhood in the locker room has been amazing. It’s something that I really needed, so I’m really grateful for them.”
It was the goal of Reese to come here, yes, but it was also because there was a push from Howard, who has been the face of the franchise since 2022 when she was drafted No. 1 overall.
She’s more cool, calm, and collected as a leader. She talks her talk on the floor.
Last year, she chased down Maddy Siegrist, who was attempting a fast-break layup, and blocked her shot.
You could read her lips and hear on the broadcast Howard saying, “What the fuck were you thinking?”
With Siegrist, she was thinking that she’d have two points.
With Howard, what she was thinking this offseason was that Reese was the missing piece that the Dream needed to win a championship.
“I think there are a lot of games in the past where we would have let slip away,” Howard told The IX Sports. “But the tenacity and fire that she brings forces us to match her energy. She’s always going to work hard and be a dog. We’re always going to have her back.”
That’s veterans standing up for their players. Going to bat for them. And while Reese is only in her third year, she’s taken on that role in her one way as a “year-three vet,” as she called herself during training camp.
There’s been no better example of that than the work that she’s done with Madina Okot – the rookie out of South Carolina.
Since the beginning of camp, Reese has been the mentor for Okot. The player that Okot would go to when she had questions. The player who would coach Okot up on the bench and on the court.
She’s trying to take the rookie under her wing as the season goes on.
“I told her every game to just dominate everybody in front of you. You can’t think as a friend. You have to think as an enemy,” Reese told The IX Sports about Okot. “You’re supposed to punish everybody in front of you, you’re one of the biggest players in this league. One of the youngest players in this league and are very dominant. I always tell her, ‘I don’t think you know how good you are,’ and I am just instilling a lot of confidence.
“We talk a lot, and I just want her to know that I’m here for her. Rookie year is not easy, but I think she’s done a great job. She continues to flow through our offense. She continues to be a sponge and takes great things from us, but also we learn things from her.”
The results have been there for Okot, too. It’s important to remember that she didn’t pick up a basketball until six years ago. Now, with the Dream not having a first-round pick in 2027 or 2028, Okot has been thrust into a role to produce immediately for the Dream.
She’s done just that, as she ranks top-12 in PER, a metric that measures the per-minute impact a player has on the court, among players who average at least eight minutes per game or more.
“She’s willing to work every day, and I just hope she realizes how good she can be,” Smesko told The IX Sports about Okot. “The potential is there to be like an All-Star and better player, and we know that she has that capability.”
For Okot, she gets a lot of one-on-one time with assistant coach Brandi Poole of the Dream, but it’s her relationship with Reese that has driven her results.
“Angel’s been sort of a mentor to me,” Okot said. “She’s there for me. I knew she was gonna be there for me. I mean, she’s a good person, and I love being around her. She’s not going to let me struggle with anything on and off court. She’s willing to help me, and she makes my life so easy. She’s like a big sister to me.”
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It’s hearing those remarks that means a lot to Reese. Because as a player, as a human, she can be hard on herself.
“I think a lot of times, I’m really hard on myself about how well I want to be and how great I want to be,” Reese said. “But just taking my time and just knowing that I’ve done some great things and just patting myself on the back and just knowing that I want more.”
Those were the comments that she made after she recorded rebound No. 1,000, becoming the fastest player to achieve that milestone in WNBA history.
“I don’t think that people realize rebounding is harder than you think. Defensive rebounds are a little bit easier, but going in and crashing every single time to get second-chance opportunities on the offensive end – and you can look statistically that they’re not just from my shots – they’re from my teammates, and it gives us more points,” Reese said. “It gives us more opportunities, and just being able to come out and do what I do every single night just shows my consistency.”
That’s the dog that Howard was talking about. Because while Reese is hard on herself, she exudes confidence.
She’ll do a “too small” gesture when she gets a bucket inside. She’ll flex when she hits a big shot. She’ll go to a ref and challenge a call (she has seven technical fouls on the season, one more would result in a one-game suspension).
She’s unapologetically Angel Reese.
“I just have no fear. I think me also being 6’3 and also having guard skills and being able to put the ball on the floor helps,” Reese said. “I feel like sometimes I have the advantage on the five because of my speed and athleticism. I think I probably am stronger than I probably look. My lower body is a lot stronger than my upper body, so I kind of use physicality as much as I can.”
That’s how Reese is being her on the court. An overlooked aspect of this season is that she’s been playing center in the first half of the year – something that she hasn’t done since her time at LSU.
Jones missed all but two games in the first half of the season as she recovered from an offseason meniscus injury, which required surgery. So while she’s been recovering, Reese has been playing out of position with Naz Hillmon playing power forward.
“It is hard work being the five, but I’m enjoying it right now,” Reese said. “I know Bri has been a great post player, and I love that I don’t have to play against her now because she is super dominant inside. I’m really excited to have Bri back, and I can play the four again.”
Jones has had a front-row seat to the Dream while she’s been out, but said that Angel’s leadership has stood out.
“I think she’s been great. She’s been great vocally, and I think she brings that energy every day in practice,” Jones said of Reese. “She’s always using her voice and she’s always bringing that energy. She’s been great in this new offense. I think it’s been a little different for her, but she’s done a really great job of picking up the things that Karl wants from her and being able to do what we need her to do.”
That’s the on-the-court Reese that will do what the coaches ask. But off the court, she’s truly the unapologetically version of her.
Reese made an impact on the floor for the Sky in her first two seasons, but she made an even bigger impact off the court with her work in the community.
One of the ventures that she has is her own Angel C. Reese Foundation across Chicago, Baltimore, and Baton Rouge, where she grew up, went to college and became a pro.
“I love being able to give back to women, and especially young women, and teaching them about financial literacy, and also just educating them on life and being what it’s like to be a woman and be in spaces that particularly that we are told that we don’t belong in,” Reese explained. “And hopefully, I give an inspiration to young girls and even young boys that they can do anything they put their minds to. You know, we don’t have to be limited to one thing. I’m sure everybody knows everything that I do, from basketball to being a part of my podcast to my foundation to modeling to everything. So, I just want young kids to know that they can do it all, and just don’t put yourself into a box, and know that you can achieve anything you put your mind to.”
Before a game earlier this season, after shootaround, Reese said that she wanted to do some work in the Atlanta community, too. She wasn’t ready to disclose those details, but said that “something is in the works.”
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It’s a city that she’s taken to in the same way that it has taken to her.
She has to experience it differently than others do, of course, because she is that superstar that the city has craved.
“I think that everybody knows I’ve never walked around town anywhere. I can’t walk around town. I wish,” Reese told reporters after the Dream’s Juneteenth game. “Actually, my teammate was just asking me when the last time was that I was able to stroll just down the street. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do that. But I do appreciate the support here in Atlanta.”
And they’ve shown up for Barbie, too. The Dream added a sixth game at State Farm Arena on Aug. 3, which has the theme “Barbie Night.”
Before they acquired her from the Sky, the Dream scheduled a September game in State Farm Arena due to the fans who show up and show out for Reese. When she was a visitor, names like Latto and Monica would be courtside and shown on the big screen as attending the Dream game.
It’s the right framing, but make no mistake about it – they were here for Reese.
Now they get to be here for both.
“Everybody loves being in the A, from celebrities to rappers to athletes, and it’s like the mecca here,” Reese said about the city. “It feels like the mecca, and us being here in the summertime when everybody’s rolling through the city, and this is the stop, and everybody wants to come too, is really cool. And then when you get a win, it just makes it even better.”
Before discussing the who’s who of celebrities who have attended games this year, Reese opened up with an impassioned statement to the media, since the game was on June 19.
“First, happy Juneteenth to all of us. I think there are so many focal points and so many people that have allowed us to be in this position,” Reese said. “Atlanta is historic, and I knew coming here how important the culture here was, and me being able to kind of dive into it, I haven’t been able to do as much as I wanted to yet, but I knew how important it is to show up for your people.”
The statement – or answer to a question, if you prefer – was in response to Reese being filmed during pregame in Indiana singing “Lift Every Voice” during the Fever’s Juneteenth celebration.
“I think it was just one in the moment of where I was, how it felt, how it hit, and the things that I’ve experienced over the last couple of years, and they haven’t always been great,” Reese said. “But my ancestors walked so I could run, and I’ll never forget that. Every day I wake up, I’m very grateful, and it’s not supposed to be easy, but I am very, very grateful for this opportunity to be a Black woman. It’s a privilege, and to be able to be in this space and be able to shine and use my voice is very important.
“And I haven’t heard ‘Lift Every Voice’ in a while. And being where I was, hearing the loud boos when I was in the arena, and then when I heard ‘Lift Every Voice,’ it just made me feel like this is for the ones that walked for me. And then hearing it again tonight, obviously in Atlanta, they show up and show out. So yeah, it’s bigger than me. It’s for the ones that really walked so we could run.”
It’s that example that Reese wants to set for the future, as she’s shown through her work with her foundation.
“I think when you see it, you can be it. And those young girls, those young boys out there, when they see a Black girl being able to run up and down the court and just have this life and have this experience, I think is really important,” Reese explained. “And representation is important for me to use my voice, for me to use my platform.
“I’ll never stay silent on things that I know I believe in and I stand firm in, and hopefully the next little girl, the next little boy is inspired by that. And it’s not easy. I wake up every day and just try to inspire the next person and be the best I can in the version that I can because hopefully one day I’m able to impact someone else’s life.”
Reese knows who she is. She knows the eyes that she has on her. Knows the critics that she has. Knows that she’s been cast as “The Villain.”
But the truth is, she’s a 24-year-old who has carried a weight on her shoulders since she was in college that has been filled with vitriol, racism, hate, and threats over basketball.
Part of being unapologetically her, though, is continuing to use her voice, her platform, in a way that matters.
“It’s important for you to use your voice and advocate. Sometimes when you don’t use your voice, people think that you don’t matter,” Reese said. “But when you do speak out and address things head-on, I think it’s important to have change. And if you want change, you have to speak on it. You don’t let things just slide. And that’s how I’ve been my entire career. I think it’s important to be unapologetically you.
“There are a lot of people that don’t necessarily have a voice and don’t necessarily have a platform. I know I’m speaking for those people. I speak for a community that believes in the bigger picture of things. I know the generation before and the generation after to come. I think it’s going to be important to know that you do have a voice, women have a voice, and it’s important to use your voice. And it might not always be great and what everybody wants to hear, but it’s real. And these are important things that matter to me, and I’m always going to speak on it.”
She speaks her mind during the games, too, and it’s something that she has been working on when it comes to “keeping her composure” during games this season. She knows how important she is to her team and how she needs to stay on the floor.
She knows that her teammates are counting on her, but her coach is, too.
“The last thing we want is to go a game without Angel,” Smesko said.
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The two have built a bond throughout the season.
After each practice, the two go over to a side court and work on her shooting motion. Reese will be along the perimeter, receiving passes from assistant coach LaToya Sanders, while Smesko will be under the basket doing a follow-through motion for Reese to replicate.
He’s teaching her to become a shooter – or at least working on expanding her game.
The shots aren’t falling yet how she wants them to, but she’s working on it.
“I’m a player that really wants results to happen fast, and I’m sure every player wants that. But I have to give myself grace and pace myself,” Reese said about working on her three-point shot. “We have finally seen a few go down, so we just want to continue to building on that and taking the shots and being confident. I would love every three to fall for me, but I’m just continuing to make sure my technique is right and learning from it. I watch a lot of film with Karl, and also with the team, as well. So I’m just trying to get better each game, and also giving myself a lot of grace.”
The bond has extended just beyond the basketball work, though. As Reese has worked on bringing a fun side out of Smesko by introducing her own handshake with him.
“That was my idea to bring a little bit of character out of him. And I think he’s super comfortable,” Reese said. “The girls said he feels a lot more comfortable this year. I think last year all his jokes were corny, and this year they said they are a little better. They understand his dad jokes, but he’s been great. I think all of us have a little something with him, and it’s fun.”
That extends off the court, too. The same way that the city of Atlanta cares about her, Smesko feels the same.
During the Dream’s final game of the first half, Reese had her leg buckle and exited the game with head trainer Katie Buria. She returned to the bench wearing flip flops with a limp, signalling that her night was over.
Despite Reese wanting to play on, Smesko wanted to protect her.
Not the basketball player, but the person.
“When I was looking at her, it seemed like she was in a lot of pain, and she wanted to go out there and keep playing because she’s competitive and she wants to win the game,” Smesko said postgame about Reese’s injury. “I just didn’t feel comfortable with it because she looked like she was in a lot of pain. Those are some of the tough decisions that you have to make.
“Angel, the person, is very important to us, and we support her in all situations, and I just didn’t feel good about putting someone out there that looked like she was in that much pain.”
The feelings that Smesko has about her are echoed by the 3,500 people in Gateway Center Arena each night, or the 17,000 people in State Farm Arena.
They love their team. They love the players. The ride for Gray and will scream that Howard is the most underrated player in the league.
But they love their superstar despite her short tenure with the team thus far.
If she has it her way, she won’t be going anywhere else, ever.
“I just want to be a Dream forever because of the support that the organization has shown me,” Reese said. “From the fan base to my teammates to my coaches to just Liam (communications manager) being here all the time – it’s important, and I haven’t always had that, so I’m just really grateful for it.
“Everybody’s like a brother, sister, cousin. You just feel like it’s a family that we’re in,” Reese said. “When we played LA, it just felt like the cookout. You smell the fry fish, you smell the chicken. You hear the emcee. Like everybody just turned up. I knew what I was coming to in Atlanta, and it’s everything that I expected-the culture, the fans, and everything. I really love being here.”
