ATLANTA — Angel Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds in the Atlanta Dream’s 113-96 win against the Indiana Fever on Saturday.
Reese achieved the feat in 79 career games, 10 games faster than Tina Charles, the previous record-holder.
The 6-foot-4 forward reached the milestone with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter. She finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds.
“I think people don’t realize rebounding is harder than you think,” Reese said after the game while reflecting on her feat. “Defensive rebounds are a little bit easier than going in and crashing every single time to give a second chance opportunity on the offensive end.”
Reese, 24, tops the WNBA with 11.9 rebounds per game this season. The Dream newcomer, traded from the Chicago Sky in the offseason, has received criticism for getting rebounds from her own missed shots.
“You can look statistically, not just for my shots, but for my teammates’, it gives us more points, it gives us more opportunities,” she said. “Just being able to go out and do what I do every single night just shows my consistency.”
In her third season, Reese is taking the moment to give herself some credit, though she admits it’s tough to do when she has her sights set on bigger things.
“A lot of the time I’m really hard on myself, what I want to be and how great I want to be, but I’m just taking my time and knowing that I’ve done some great things,” she said. “I’m just patting myself on the back and knowing that I want more.”