It knows, too, her willingness to trash talk on the floor and motivate herself while getting in the heads of her opponents. Basketball fans have not forgotten Reese\u2019s \u201cyou can\u2019t see me\u201d gesture to Caitlin Clark during the 2023 NCAA women\u2019s national championship. Not all players and fans like Reese\u2019s style, but getting likes is not what Reese is about.<\/p>\n
Reese, 24, heads into Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday as the league\u2019s defensive player of the year, poised to show that her experience level doesn\u2019t matter at the league\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n
Reese\u2019s persona is built around refuting those who don\u2019t believe in her ability and the force that she is, on or off court.<\/p>\n
Reese, 24, heads into Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday as the league\u2019s defensive player of the year, poised to show that her experience level doesn\u2019t matter at the league\u2019s biggest stage. She\u2019s a winner through and through.<\/p>\n
Reaching the finals is a goal Reese manifested around a year ago<\/a>, when she watched the playoffs from home after missing them in each of her first two professional seasons.<\/p>\n Reese was the seventh overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. She was an All-Star in her first two seasons with the Chicago Sky but felt the franchise wasn\u2019t taking major steps toward winning at a high level.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPlay<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t And she said so, questioning the Sky\u2019s approach to roster building, including its decision to bring back franchise legend Courtney Vandersloot, who was in her late 30s. The interview went viral.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to be here for my career, but if things don\u2019t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what\u2019s best for me,\u201d she told the Chicago Tribune<\/a>. \u201cBut while I am here, I\u2019m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments were remarkable both for Reese\u2019s bluntness and her bravery. Reese spoke up about what she believed wasn\u2019t right and demanded better \u2014 something many working women struggle to do. Already, Reese\u2019s legacy looks to be defined by the ways she has defied expectations for women, much like<\/a> how Diana Taurasi did with how she, too, talked smack on the court.<\/p>\n Reese and the Dream wanted the same things: to improve, to grow and to win. As a franchise, the Dream had been both slighted and underinvested in before an ownership change in 2021.<\/p>\n Reese\u2019s comments weren\u2019t well-received by her Sky teammates or the front office. She was suspended for half a game and said<\/a> her language \u201cwas taken out of context.\u201d<\/p>\n Seven months later, the Atlanta Dream acquired Reese, who quickly found synergy with her new team. Reese and the Dream wanted the same things: to improve, to grow and to win. As a franchise, the Dream had been both slighted<\/a> and underinvested<\/a> in before an ownership change in 2021.<\/p>\n Reese helped reinvigorate the Dream fanbase, and the team invested in her development, helping hone her talents.<\/p>\n Her buy-in to head coach Karl Smesko\u2019s mantra<\/a> of managing emotions and valuing each possession is evident in Reese\u2019s poised approach to the postseason. Although a playoff rookie, Reese hasn\u2019t looked like one. Across five playoff games, Reese has averaged<\/a> 18 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.2 blocks.<\/p>\n Smesko has also committed to working with Reese on her 3-point shot, a necessary skill for modern front-court players. He challenged Reese to practice shooting in front of her teammates during training camp, something that initially embarrassed her but has fueled her success<\/a> shooting from deep during the postseason.<\/p>\n \tMore articles<\/p>\n Smesko became Reese\u2019s shooting partner not only to build trust with a team star but also to get to know her better. The two have a handshake that has ricocheted<\/a> around social media.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fist pound, followed by the right knee going up and a shooting motion, and then both stick their tongues out.<\/p>\n As the Dream head into their first finals since 2013, Reese believes her impact is rooted in her fearlessness. She takes risks just like she did in Chicago.<\/p>\n \u201cI always talk about you can\u2019t be scared when it comes to this,\u201d Reese told me earlier this month.<\/p>\n This fearlessness manifested against the Washington Mystics in her first-ever playoff matchup last month, she said. \u201cI knew I was just going to be fearless. Go out there and play fearless, play with just so much poise, and just have fun and do everything that I can do. And that\u2019s always how I\u2019ve been in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n Reese\u2019s fearlessness and her high motor are widely known. Less appreciated are the ways she uses her instincts and sheer athleticism to impact the game at multiple levels.<\/p>\n Reese also earned the honor because of her mastery of opponents\u2019 tendencies and making sharp, in-game adjustments that help position her team to win. <\/p>\n Accolades like Defensive Player of the Year reflect rebounds, blocks and steals. But Reese also earned the honor because of her mastery of opponents\u2019 tendencies<\/a> and making sharp, in-game adjustments that help position her team to win. She had not just the confidence but also the shrewdness to tell her veteran teammate DeWanna Bonner to pass her the ball at the end of Game 2 of the Dream\u2019s semifinal against the New York Liberty. The idea was that Reese would help run out the clock and bait the Liberty into chasing her around.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1751380898733_tdy_news_6a_WNBA_social_reader_250701_1920x1080-gxd3jt.jpg\")
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