Last year, Angel Reese was sitting at home watching Game 4 of the WNBA Finals as the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury to capture the title. She had just finished her second season in the league with the Chicago Sky and had yet to sniff the playoffs. Reese, who won a national title in college, wasn't used to losing.
Going into her third season, things had to change. She didn't want to be on her couch; she wanted to be on that court, in that pressure-cooker of an environment, competing on the most important stage of the sport. She texted her friend Kahleah Copper, who was playing for the Mercury, "Give me one game in the playoffs." One game, and she could turn that into a Finals appearance.
And then, she tweeted it. A year later, the manifestation worked. In the offseason, Reese was traded to the Atlanta Dream, a team that was the third seed in the 2025 playoffs but lost in the first round.
She had the best season of her career on the court, averaging 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. And then, just as she told Copper, she made the most of her time in the playoffs. The Dream have yet to lose this postseason, sweeping the Washington Mystics and New York Liberty to make it to their first Finals since 2013.
On Friday night, Reese had 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and even two 3-pointers to lead the Dream to an 85-83 victory over the more experienced Liberty on the road at Barclays Center. When the buzzer finally sounded, she finally exhaled, ran to celebrate with her mother and soaked up this moment that she had practically willed into existence. "Having the opportunity to come to Atlanta, them wanting me in Atlanta and being able to push me every day to help me get to this very moment.
It's really a shout-out to them," she said postgame. "I manifest a lot of things. I think it's important to speak positives into your life, positives into your team.
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