By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | October 1, 2026

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese said it before the regular season was over.

“The Defensive Player of the Year is in Atlanta!”

On Thursday, the league made it official.

Reese has been named the 2026 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in Atlanta Dream history to earn the league’s top individual defensive honor.

The award caps a historic first season in Atlanta for Reese, who helped anchor one of the WNBA’s most disruptive defensive units while putting together one of the most productive rebounding seasons the league has seen.

Reese received 46 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes.

But when Reese received the trophy, she quickly turned the attention toward two of her teammates.

“I have the trophy, but I definitely want Jordin and Rhyne to sign it because I think they deserve it just as much as I do,” Reese said, referring to Jordin Canada and Rhyne Howard. “I’m grateful for Atlanta, I’m grateful for my teammates and my coaches and all the supporting staff that supports us.”

Her reaction reflected the collective nature of Atlanta’s defense.

Reese, Canada and Howard gave the Dream three high-level defensive playmakers capable of pressuring ballhandlers, disrupting passing lanes, switching across positions and creating turnovers.

Reese’s individual impact, however, was difficult to overlook.

She finished the regular season first in the WNBA in Defensive Win Shares at 3.39 and ranked among the league leaders in several other defensive categories.

Atlanta allowed 7.9 fewer points per 100 possessions with Reese on the floor than when she was off it, the largest defensive on-off differential among Dream rotation players.

Reese also averaged 1.8 steals per game, ranking third in the WNBA.

But some of her most important defensive work occurred after opponents missed.

Reese’s ability to end possessions became one of the defining elements of her season.

She averaged 7.3 defensive rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the league, and helped Atlanta limit opponents to a WNBA-low 9.5 second-chance points per game.

Her performance on the defensive glass was part of a record-setting rebounding season.

Reese became the first player in WNBA history to collect 500 rebounds in a single season. She finished with 521 total rebounds and set league records for total rebounds and offensive rebounds.

She also established a WNBA single-game record when she grabbed 26 rebounds against the Los Angeles Sparks in August.

Rebounding was hardly her only contribution.

Reese finished the regular season averaging a career-high 16.4 points and a league-leading 12.1 rebounds per game. She also set a WNBA record with 32 double-doubles.

Those numbers earned Reese WNBA Peak Performer honors as the league’s leading rebounder. She was selected to her third consecutive WNBA All-Star Game and became the first player in Dream history to earn Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors in three consecutive weeks.

The Defensive Player of the Year award, however, carries particular significance for a Dream franchise that entered the WNBA in 2008.

No Atlanta player had won it before.

Reese changed that in her first season with the organization.

She did it while playing alongside Canada and Howard, whose pressure and activity helped establish defense as a defining part of Atlanta’s identity.

The Dream finished the regular season 30-14, tying the franchise record for victories and earning the No. 4 seed in the WNBA playoffs.

For Reese, the individual recognition provides another milestone in a season already filled with them.

But her first reaction to receiving the trophy may say as much about Atlanta’s defensive success as the statistics themselves.

The trophy belongs to Reese.

One of the first things she wanted to do with it was have Canada and Howard sign it.

For a player whose individual honor grew out of Atlanta’s collective defensive identity, it is a fitting way to mark the first Defensive Player of the Year award in Dream history.

And Reese made clear that she does not consider the award an ending.

“This is just the beginning.”

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