By Field Level Media
Oct 01 (Field Level Media) – Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese was named the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.
Reese, 24, received 46 votes from a national panel of 74 sportswriters and broadcasters after setting league records for total rebounds (521) and double- doubles (32).
Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes, followed by Las Vegas Aces center-forward A’ja Wilson with four votes.
“I told my coaches earlier in the season I am going to be the Defensive Player of the Year,” Reese told ESPN. “I don’t know if it’s going to be this year, I don’t know if it’s going to be next year, but I’m challenging myself, and I want you guys to challenge me every day to be that. And here it is.”
Reese averaged a career-high 16.4 points and a league-high 12.1 rebounds in 43 games during her third season in the WNBA and first in Atlanta. The three-time All-Star finished third in the league in both steals per game (1.8) and total thefts (77) and set a career high with 32 blocked shots.
Behind Reese, Atlanta ranked third in the WNBA in defensive rating (103.5). Her rebounding helped the Dream allow a league-low 9.5 second-chance points per game.
Acquired from the Chicago Sky in a preseason trade on April 6, Reese is the first player in Dream history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors.
(–Field Level Media)
Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
SRN News — View the original story at SRNNews.com.
