Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese says she manifested her first WNBA Finals appearance and plans to embrace every part of the spotlight when the series opens Saturday. “I manifested this. When I came to Atlanta, I knew that I was getting.
This team has poured so much into me. We poured so much into each other. I posted and tweeted (on) 10/10/25 that I was manifesting the Finals and this is my moment.
I’m supposed to be here. I thank God for this moment. And I’m just so thankful,” Reese said, according to USA Today.
Reese followed that with a short, direct statement on where she believes she stands this postseason. “I belong here,” she said, per USA Today.
Reese’s Comments On Reaching The WNBA Finals
Reese posted on social media on Oct. 10, 2025, that she was manifesting a Finals trip, a claim she referenced again after the Dream beat the Liberty 85-83 in Game 3 to clinch the semifinal sweep on Oct. 9. She finished that clincher with 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 37 minutes, shooting 7-for-18 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Reese also credited teammates and the organization for pushing her toward this point after two years of missing the playoffs with the Chicago Sky. “I’ve sat at home for the last two years and watched it. I kept saying… ‘Just give me one game in the playoffs. Give me one game in the playoffs.’ And having an 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, according to USA Today.
What It Means For Her Role Under The Spotlight
Reese said a veteran teammate has worked to keep the locker room grounded despite the excitement of a first Finals berth. “One thing about DB, she keeps it real and she keeps us humble. And you need that in the locker room, especially for myself, this is my first time ever going to the finals and we were all happy.
And then she was like, ‘Y’all, I’ve been to the Finals and got swept before. You can’t get too high.’ And I’m like, ‘Wait, but this is my first time,'” Reese said, per USA Today.
Reese also addressed the Dream’s decision to play two Finals games at State Farm Arena rather than the smaller Gateway Center Arena. “I do love Gateway, so much, and I love the intimacy of being here and all the fans coming out and supporting us. And even if we couldn’t go to State Farm, I was going to be grateful to just be able to be here and just have everybody here.
We probably would’ve had a big TV outside, and everybody outside. It would be a whole cookout,” she told Bleacher Report, calling the move to the larger arena “bittersweet.”
She said she is still looking forward to the bigger venue. “But I am looking forward to everybody showing up and supporting us at State Farm, because every game has been a great turnout. Celebrities on the side… you don’t know who you’re going to see in Atlanta,” Reese said, per Bleacher Report.
Season Numbers Behind The Moment
Reese enters her first Finals off a regular season in which she averaged 16.4 points and 12.1 rebounds and earned Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in her career, according to the New York Post. She also set single-season franchise records with 521 rebounds and 32 double-doubles in 2026.
Her production has carried into the postseason, where she is averaging 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks through five games. Reese was traded to Atlanta from the Chicago Sky in April 2024 after two seasons in Chicago, and this marks her first playoff experience since the move. More on her defensive honor is available in Total Apex Sports’ coverage of her Defensive Player of the Year season.
What’s Next
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries is scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in San Francisco. Atlanta clinched its berth with a semifinal sweep of the New York Liberty on Oct. 9. Details on the Dream’s venue plans for the series are available in Total Apex Sports’ report on the Dream’s record Finals ticket prices and the matchup preview against the Valkyries.
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