Angel Reese is a winner. She won high school championships and led LSU to a national championship in her first year with the program. Reese also won an Unrivaled title and was on the gold-medal team at this year’s FIBA World Cup. Being traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream marked her first chance to drive winning at the highest level in the WNBA—and she did. She helped the Dream get all the way to Game 7 of the WNBA Finals in her first playoff run.

Reese didn’t win this time. Gabby Williams led the Golden State Valkyries to a historic championship with 30 points. They are the fastest expansion team to win a championship in any major sports league in the U.S. 

Losing in the finals is heartbreaking, especially for someone who is used to winning and didn’t play her best game when it mattered the most. Reese scored just eight points and turned the ball over four times. But losing in this way is generally a part of the process for young WNBA stars. Most of them have to experience playoff heartbreak before getting all the way to the top.

It would have been great to see Reese help the Dream win the franchise’s first championship right away, but one loss doesn’t mean the team won’t get there eventually. 

A tough playoff loss is part of the process

In 2020, A’ja Wilson had to be helped off the court by her teammates when the Seattle Storm swept the Las Vegas Aces in the finals because she was so devastated by the loss. She was 24 and in her third season back then, just like Angel Reese is now. Jackie Young was right there with her. Two years later, they led the Aces to their first title and built this decade’s WNBA dynasty. Wilson is the most decorated player in WNBA history with five MVPs, three DPOYs, and three titles. Young is a multi-time All-Star and All-WNBA player and one of the best second options the league has seen. 

They are not the only examples, either. Sabrina Ionescu was 25 and in her fourth season when the additions of Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones finally allowed her to bring the New York Liberty back to the finals. They lost to the Aces, but came back the next year to beat the Minnesota Lynx. 

For Jones, it was her fourth trip to the finals. She had also lost twice with the Connecticut Sun before coming to New York. Even Stewart didn’t win a championship right away. She lost in the first round twice in 2016 and 2017 before leading the Storm to a title in 2018. 

The list goes on with all-time greats, like Brittney Griner and Sue Bird, who all experienced brutal playoff losses before getting to the mountaintop. 

Getting back to the finals is not easy, but the Dream’s core of Reese, Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada is still under contract. They will continue to improve—especially Reese, who is the youngest in the group—and so will their young bench players. There’s a pretty good chance that they will make it back and win it all next time. 

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