Inside Angel Reese’s new chapter with the Dream: 'I just want to win'

ATLANTA ― In the summer of 2024, Angel Reese was surrounded by the media at she sat on the Atlanta Dream's bench at Gateway Center Arena.

Two months into her tenure with the Chicago Sky, Reese answered questions about the Sky-Dream game that would happen nearly two hours later. During the scrum a tiny fan, completely enamored with the Baltimore area native, asked Reese what kept her motivated.

"Girls, like you. Little girls that look up to me," Reese said. "Being able to wake up every day and know that little eyes are watching me. I hope that one day you can do what I'm doing."

The heartwarming moment quickly gained traction online. Unbeknownst to the star, that interaction foreshadowed events to come.

Notably, Reese took questions, not from Chicago's bench, but Atlanta's. The Dream's logo and pictures of future teammates Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Naz Hillmon hung in the background as Reese went through her pregame routine. And, when Reese was introduced as a part of Chicago's starting lineup before that 2024 game, Atlanta fans gave her the loudest ovation of any player.

Just over 21 months later, Reese was traded to the Dream.

Angel Reese finds a sisterhood

By the time the 2025 season ended, Atlanta had won a franchise-best 30 games. But it lost a heartbreaking first-round playoff series, leaving many to wonder what the team would do with its roster. However, for the Dream, the priorities were always clear: retain the core and add value.

When WNBA free agency opened on April 6, 2026, Atlanta accomplished both within roughly a week. The Dream re-signed Canada, Howard, Gray, Hillmon and newcomer Bri Jones. Atlanta also landed Reese in a trade with Chicago. The Sky received a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick from the Dream. Atlanta received Reese and the rights to a 2028 second-round pick swap.

"We had a gauge that maybe Angel could become available, and I just stayed in close contact with Chicago throughout the year and said, 'Hey, if this ever becomes real, keep us in mind,'" Atlanta general manager Dan Padover told USA TODAY. "A few weeks before the (WNBA) draft, things started picking up, and we were able to find a deal that works for us and them. We're really excited about it."

Reese reportedly did not request a trade after an up-and-down stint in Chicago, but the Sky worked with her to find a place where she would feel comfortable. Atlanta made sense. She was familiar with the city and had previous connections with new teammates. Reese was on the same WNBA All-Star team with Jones in 2024 and Gray in 2025. She had also had an established relationship with Howard and touchpoints with others through Unrivaled and USA Basketball.

"We had some inklings beforehand (that Angel would join us). Not necessarily group chat, but some in-person conversations, and we just know what she brings to the table. We know what you're gonna get from her basically every single night, at the very least rebounding," Hillmon told USA TODAY Sports.

"Obviously, we knew what was happening with Bri (Jones), so it just made a lot of sense for us. We felt like she was definitely somebody who could plug in place and was gonna help us take it over the top."

Atlanta's sisterhood stood out to Reese, as well as the development of the team's core under coach Karl Smesko. Reese wanted a front office, coach and teammates who believed in her and would support her development.

"I'm not satisfied (with) what I am as player, and I feel like being around these kinds of players would help me get better," Reese said, with a noticeable quiver in her voice. "... And that's all I ever wanted. I don't care about anything else that comes with it. At the end of the day, I want to win."Being able to come to an organization that really cared about their players ... having a GM that really wanted me and knew what my talents are. Being able to talk to players that genuinely know what I am, who I am as a person but also as a player, is like a breath of fresh air. It lowkey makes me emotional because I haven't had this, and I'm really grateful."

Two days after Reese was introduced, she started her first training camp with Atlanta. The 24-year-old-old immediately settled in.

The first day of camp, she had to be separated from Gray as the pair tried to keep the vibes light during a team huddle. Gray hugged Reese, and the Dream forward leaned in for the embrace with a smile before a nearby staffer stepped between the duo to break up the shenanigans. Reese also made a TikTok video with rookie Madina Okot ― which she asserts was Okot's idea ― and three other teammates.

During her availability with the media later that week, Reese showered her experience with praise. The forward noted how smooth her transition from Chicago had been and how she didn't have to worry about anything other than basketball while being surrounded by what she described as great people.

“It’s electric to be able to come in here, and them being able to soak me up and take me in as their own," Reese said. "I’m really grateful for all of them because they’ve made this super seamless for me. So, I’m just happy to really be there with them. Great players. All-WNBA players. Defensive players."

Atlanta was also all in on Reese. Second-year guard Te-Hina Paopao confirmed less than a week into training camp, she was already dedicated to keeping up her playful sibling duties deployed last season against veteran players. Reese would get the same treatment.

"I love being the annoying little sister. I'm already getting on Angel's nerves," Paopao said, jokingly. "I'm always going to be that little sister because I love the energy. I love messing with them, and it just keeps the morale high. I know they have a lot of pressure on them, and I'm just here to, you know, say hey, 'It's really not that serious.' But it is serious at the same time, but you can always have a good time."

Howard, who had teased Reese about scoring 30 when she played against her during Reese's introductory press conference, couldn't help but smile two weeks into training camp when asked about her new teammate. Reese and Howard were quietly, but outwardly, building a bond rooted in mutual respect, support and competitive spirit.

"(I'm) just reassuring her of what she has on her side of the floor now. Just making sure that she feels comfortable. The trust is there both ways," Howard said.

"We're looking for her to do some things, and she's looking for us to match her competitiveness and her drive. We've already talked about it, and we know how aggressive she gets on the floor."

Angel Reese's growth trends up

As Reese built relationships with her teammates, the rest of the organization quietly got excited about the possibilities.

"She's just a fierce competitor, fierce rebounder. Can do a lot of things on the basketball court. Moves phenomenal for her size, and I think we're just only getting to see what her potential could be," Padover told USA TODAY. "Karl (Smesko) and the coaching staff are going to do a great job of untapping even more there. But great talent, and we're really excited to see her gel with this team."

Upon her arrival, Reese spent several days working with Smesko and Atlanta's staff, understanding his terminology, system and expectations. Some was done on the fly with her teammates, but she also received dedicated individual work. The Atlanta coach, as he has done with nearly every player who has been on his roster, worked with Reese to create a custom plan for her that highlighted her strengths and leaned into areas for improvement.

Smesko immediately partnered with Reese on optimizing her shot, including different release points she wanted to sharpen. He pushed her hard when she got frustrated about misses and encouraged her when she nailed follow-throughs. Reese could hardly contain her smile when she talked about her first training camp under Smesko.

"My experience with Karl has been amazing. We work at it every day before practice ― about me shooting and keeping my shot on target and everything ― and I can tell the difference. Even my misses look like makes, and they're close enough," she said, laughing.

"He's been doing a lot of great things with me. He's sitting down individually (with me), but I appreciate him for holding me accountable every single possession, and always getting on me."

When Reese suited up in an Atlanta Dream uniform for the first time, it was a preseason matchup against her former team. Many suspected Reese might have something to prove, but the Atlanta forward was all smiles returning to the United Center. She noted how excited she was to see familiar faces and return to a place where she still has a home. What also stood out was Reese's fervent support of her new teammates.

Okot, who she had met days before, was on the receiving end of a midgame coaching moment from Reese. It was raw and truthful, as Okot struggled, to find her confidence after getting her shot blocked during her first WNBA minutes. With Reese's encouragement, Okot finished with a double-double.

"Nobody cares, and I want you to understand you have to play hard on every possession," Reese recalls saying to Okot on the bench. "I wanna continue to be on her because I know she is special."

Ten days later, Reese's Dream teammates would reciprocate the support when Atlanta struggled out of the gate during its season opener against the Minnesota Lynx.

Minnesota had what felt like an insurmountable 15-point lead at halftime as the Dream shot 36% from the floor. There wasn't a single Atlanta player in double figures, including Reese. The Atlanta star was 1-of-5 with three points and nine rebounds. Still, Reese and the Dream never wavered. Atlanta ate into Minnesota's lead in the third quarter. By the early minutes of a decisive fourth quarter, Reese had her signature double-double — the 50th of her career.

Reese and the Dream continued chipping away, becoming more confident with each basket. With eleven seconds remaining, Paopao drained a jump shot to put Atlanta up 91-90, and Gray added a head-turning block on Lynx rookie Olivia Miles. With time expiring, Reese slammed the door shut on Minneota's hope with a game-saving block, displaying her poise and growth under the Dream in real-time.

After the final buzzer, Howard and Gray hyped Reese up with words of affirmation and chest bumps. Canada, who was a few feet away, pushed her arms into the air in triumphant celebration. Hillmon walked up to Reese, shouting in exuberance with another chest bump. Paopao later jumped into Reese's arms, excitedly screaming, "Let's go!" as she shook the shoulders of her teammate. Jones walked up to Reese and hugged her as the exhausted star said, "Oh my God!" in relief.

"It was rough for me tonight, but this is what you call a team," Reese said postgame. "Being able to have players that have your back and always pick you up, even when you're not having the best game and always in your ear, putting a lot of confidence into you."

Perhaps almost unnoticed in Atlanta's win was Hillmon quietly pouring into Reese when the game was on the line. Reese missed a late layup that would have helped Atlanta extend its lead. The Dream forward appeared to take it to heart — getting down on herself. Hillmon saw her teammate struggling and put her arm around Reese's shoulder, telling her, "Next play, next play, next play."

Postgame, Reese said she thought Hillmon probably knew something big, like her block, was coming and credited her teammates for instilling confidence in her. Hillmon told USA TODAY Sports she's made it a priority to learn more about Reese and what she needs in moments like that.

"There's a lot that everybody sees from the outside, but being her teammate, you understand her competitive nature and just all the things she does for her team," Hillmon said.

"I know that she takes a lot, puts a lot on herself. Anyway I can help to help her relieve some of that stress or pressure, or whatever the word is that she uses for herself, (I want to) just help her out. This is a team sport. ... Nobody should have to feel the weight of the world on their shoulders."

When Reese makes her regular-season Dream home debut on Sunday, it will be in front of a soldout crowd of more than 17,000 people. The expectations will be high as the undefeated Dream (2-0) play the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (3-1) at State Farm Arena.

While many pundits and outsiders may have thoughts about Reese's trade to a new team, the Dream are locked in with their new star. Her arrival in Atlanta has appeared to be everything they thought it might be and more.

"I'd say (she's been) exceptional," Hillmon said of Reese's transition.

"She's come in and picked up the terminology really quickly, picked up our schemes really quickly. Just is really in all of the right spots all the time, I feel, or most of the time at the very least. And I just think that she works really well in our system, and she's just really bought in from the very beginning."

Reese's head coach went deeper on what he's seen of the two-time All-Star, including sharing a prediction for the future.

"She's working on different aspects in her game just because she wants to be the best," Smesko said. "I've already seen development so far, and I think if she keeps working, that she is that she's gonna be somebody that people are talking about for MVP sometime very soon."