Angel Reese’s prediction from a year ago? It’s reality, and the Atlanta Dream are riding her red-hot, undefeated playoff run straight into their first WNBA Finals since 2013. This whole journey is wild, man, because after two seasons with the Chicago Sky where she hadn’t even sniffed the playoffs, Reese wanted more than anything to be on that court in the biggest moments.
From Couch to Court: A Manifested Destiny
Picture this: last year, Reese was stuck on her couch watching Game 4 of the WNBA Finals as the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury. She’d just finished her second season, no playoffs. For a player who won a national title in college, losing was not in her vocabulary. She knew something had to change. She wasn’t going to just sit there anymore. So, what did she do? She hit up her friend Kahleah Copper, who was playing for the Mercury, and basically said, “Give me one game in the playoffs.” She felt it, man. She *knew* she could turn that single game into a Finals appearance. And then, because this is Angel Reese we’re talking about, she tweeted it out for the world to see on October 11, 2025: “manifesting the finals>>>”. Talk about speaking it into existence.
Then the offseason hit, and Reese got traded to the Atlanta Dream. The Dream, you gotta remember, were the third seed in the 2025 playoffs but bounced out in the first round. They were hungry, but they needed that spark. And Angel Reese brought the whole damn firestorm.
The Revelation: DPOY to Finals MVP Threat
This season? Absolute lights out for Reese. She had the best year of her career, no question. She put up monster numbers with 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. And to top it off, she snagged the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award. But she wasn’t done. Just like she told Copper, she absolutely owned her time in the playoffs. The Dream have been unstoppable, sweeping the Washington Mystics and then taking down the New York Liberty to punch their ticket to the Finals. They haven’t lost a single game this postseason.
We all saw it Friday night when Reese dropped 22 points, snatched nine rebounds, dished three assists, blocked two shots, and even hit two massive three-pointers. She led the Dream to a gritty 85-83 victory over the more experienced Liberty squad on their home turf at Barclays Center. When that buzzer finally screamed, you could just see the pure emotion, the exhale, as she celebrated with her mom. She soaked in a moment she pretty much willed into being.
“Having the 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,” Reese said postgame. “I manifest a lot of things. I think it’s important to speak positives into your life, positives into your team. But this is all God. I’m just so thankful and I’m blessed to be able to be in this situation. A lot of people wish they were here, and I’m not gonna take this moment for granted. I’m here for a reason. We’re all here for a reason.” A year to the day after her initial tweet, on October 10, 2026, she retweeted her old message with “364 DAYS LATER…”, closing the loop on a legend-making prophecy.
Her playoff numbers are just ridiculous, too. In the semifinals, she averaged 20.7 points, 7.7 boards, 2.3 assists, and 2 steals per game, shooting a scorching 47.7% from the field and an insane 57.1% from deep. She’s playing with a poise, toughness, and self-belief that just shouldn’t be possible for someone with her experience level on this kind of stage. It’s absolutely wild.
What’s Next for the Dream?
So, here we are. The Atlanta Dream, led by the undeniable force that is Angel Reese, are headed to the WNBA Finals for the first time in over a decade. They’re undefeated in the playoffs, and Reese is playing the best basketball of her life. Can they finish the job and bring home that championship hardware? You know Reese is already manifesting that title, and the league better be ready for whatever she’s got coming.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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