By Field Level Media
Oct 01 (Field Level Media) - Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese was named the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.
Reese, 24, received 46 votes from a national panel of 74 sportswriters and broadcasters after setting league records for total rebounds (521) and double- doubles (32).
Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes, followed by Las Vegas Aces center-forward A'ja Wilson with four votes.
"I told my coaches earlier in the season
I am going to be the Defensive Player of the Year," Reese told ESPN. "I don't know if it's going to be this year, I don't know if it's going to be next year, but I'm challenging myself, and I want you guys to challenge me every day to be that. And here it is."
Reese averaged a career-high 16.4 points and a league-high 12.1 rebounds in 43 games during her third season in the WNBA and first in Atlanta. The three-time All-Star finished third in the league in both steals per game (1.8) and total thefts (77) and set a career high with 32 blocked shots.
Behind Reese, Atlanta ranked third in the WNBA in defensive rating (103.5). Her rebounding helped the Dream allow a league-low 9.5 second-chance points per game.
Acquired from the Chicago Sky in a preseason trade on April 6, Reese is the first player in Dream history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors.
(--Field Level Media)
