Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese won the 2026 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award announced on Oct. 1. She became the first player in Dream history to receive the league honor. The recognition came in her third WNBA season and her first with Atlanta, adding an individual milestone to the team’s strong year.
Reese received 46 votes from a national panel of 74 sportswriters and broadcasters. Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes, while Las Vegas Aces center-forward A’ja Wilson was third with four. The vote total gave Reese a clear lead over the other candidates for the award.
Her season included WNBA records of 521 total rebounds and 206 offensive rebounds. Reese also recorded 32 double-doubles and set the league’s single-game rebounding record with 26 against the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 24. Those figures show the possession impact behind an award that extends beyond blocks or steals alone.
The Dream’s announcement reported that Atlanta allowed 7.9 fewer points per 100 possessions with Reese on the floor. The WNBA also credited the team with allowing a league-low 9.5 second-chance points per game. Rebounding helps explain that relationship because a defensive stop is incomplete until the opposing team loses the chance to shoot again.
The WNBA honor followed Reese’s Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year recognition announced in September. Reese and Rhyne Howard were also named to the All-AP Second Team. The Dream said it was the first time two of its players earned All-AP team recognition in the same season.
Atlanta finished the regular season 30–14 and secured the No. 4 playoff seed. The Dream then swept the New York Liberty 3–0 in the semifinals to reach the WNBA Finals. The championship series against the Golden State Valkyries begins Oct. 17, giving Reese and her teammates a new opportunity to turn their defensive foundation into a team achievement.
GSB Take
Reese’s rebounding gives her defensive recognition a concrete connection to how Atlanta wins possessions. The team’s ability to limit second chances makes that work especially valuable alongside its perimeter defenders. The Finals will test whether those regular-season strengths remain reliable against another successful postseason team.