Angel Reese just made WNBA history once again. The Atlanta Dream forward became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, hitting the number in her 79th game during a 113-96 win over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
It was Atlanta’s third straight win and its second over the Fever inside a three-day stretch, and it lifted the Dream to the third-best record in the league. Reese isn’t crediting her own numbers for the run, though. She keeps coming back to what’s happening inside the locker room.
Angel Reese Credits Dream Teammates For Early Success
“It’s just like a sisterhood in the locker room. Everybody every day just looking to get better. We’re competing even when we do win. We always look at the little things that we could have been better on how we could be better for the next game,” she told ESPN.
What gets her going is how early it all is. Atlanta sits at 11-4, and she believes the best version of this team is still months away.
“All five starters averaging double figures and then our benches also so great. Karl is an amazing coach and the fans here are amazing,” she said, eager to see where it goes deeper into the season.
The energy reads on the floor, too. “It’s been great that we have a lot of fun in locker room,” Reese said, describing a vibe she calls contagious.
The milestone fell on a night Atlanta scored a franchise-record 113 points, and Reese didn’t clock the record while it happened. “I didn’t realize. I was so into the game,” she said.
She finished with 18 points and eight rebounds and leads the WNBA at 11.9 boards a game, work she thinks goes underrated. “I think people don’t realize rebounding is harder than you think,” she said, the value showing up in second-chance points for a team that already has plenty of scoring.
Rhyne Howard led the Dream with 24, Allisha Gray added 22, and Naz Hillmon chipped in 19. The atmosphere hit different, with Dawn Staley and Latto among the faces in the stands.
“They said it felt like playoff atmosphere. I’ve never played them playoffs before, but to feel that early on in June felt really good,” she said.
The Dream pulled away after the break, flipping a 59-56 deficit into an 84-74 lead by outscoring Indiana 28-15 in the third quarter. Clark led the Fever with 26 points but coughed up seven turnovers, and she put the loss on herself.
