Angel Reese named WNBA defensive player of the year
The Atlanta Dream star forward received 46 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Explainer
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese was voted the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.
Reese received 46 of the 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
READ MORE: Dream advance to WNBA semifinals with decisive win over Mystics
"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."
Golden State's Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes and Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson was third with four votes.
What defensive stats did Reese post?
The 24-year-old Reese grabbed a league-high 12.1 rebounds a game and ranked third in the league with 1.8 steals per game.
She totalled 77 steals over 43 games.
During the regular season, the Dream limited opponents to 7.9 points per 100 possessions fewer when Reese was on the floor than when she was off of it, the second-best defensive differential among players who played at least 500 minutes.
She contested 507 field goal attempts this season, the 10th most in the league.
Reese posted defensive win shares of 1.98, which ranked third in the league.
She also leads the league in opponent turnover percentage differential.
"She can guard any position," Dream head coach Karl Smesko said. "She's not afraid of any challenge. She relishes these opportunities and steps up in big moments."
What records did she set?
The six-foot-four forward broke single-season league records with 521 rebounds and 206 offensive rebounds.
She became the first player in league history to reach at least 500 rebounds in a season and the first to surpass 200 offensive rebounds in a single season.
Reese also set a WNBA single-game record with 26 rebounds against the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 24.
She set the WNBA single-season record with 32 double-doubles, surpassing Alyssa Thomas's record of 28.
Reese averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game, making her one of just two players to average a double-double this season.
She led the league in rebounds and offensive rebounds per game at 4.8.
"Anything that goes up is mine," Reese said after her record-setting rebounding game. "I want to be one of (the best) when I walk away from the game."
How did her teammates contribute?
Reese's steals average ranked third in the WNBA behind Dream teammates Rhyne Howard, who averaged 2.3 steals per game, and Jordin Canada, who averaged 1.9.
As a team, the Dream had the third-best defensive rating in the WNBA.
While competing with opponents, Atlanta played a friendly game within the game among themselves, seeing who could tally the most deflections and steals.
"When I said last week that the Defensive Player of the Year was in Atlanta, I felt that because Jordin's and Rhyne's impact can't go unnoticed," Reese said.
"I have the trophy, but I definitely want Jordin (Canada) and Rhyne (Howard) to sign it because I think they deserve it just as much as I do," Reese said in another quote. "I’m grateful for Atlanta, I’m grateful for my teammates and my coaches and all the supporting staff that supports us. It’s just the beginning."
This is Reese's first season with the Dream after being traded from the Chicago Sky in April.
She helped the Dream advance to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018.
Atlanta will host Game 1 of the semifinals on Sunday against the New York Liberty. Garbutt Disposal reported on October 1 that the Dream advanced by sweeping the Washington Mystics.
Reese secured the first playoff double-double of her career in the Dream's Game 1 win over the Mystics with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
"She's a competitor and she's fearless and she just has an attack-mode about her," Smesko said of her playoff performance. "First playoff game to have a double-double, really good start for her and hopefully the start of a lot of big nights for her in the playoffs."
"I always think team success leads to individual success," Reese told ESPN. "I knew coming to Atlanta, it was going to put me on a bigger [stage] ... and lead to wins."
With files from CBC News, Sportsnet and TSN