Angel Reese has officially reached the WNBA Finals before Caitlin Clark, and gave fans a peek into the process that got her there after finishing off a three-game sweep of the New York Liberty in the semifinals on Friday, which included a training camp exercise that left her feeling "embarrassed' in front of her new Atlanta Dream teammates.
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that → reach → teammates
In the postgame news conference, Reese spoke about a moment in training-camp when Coach Karl Smesko stopped a drill and made her hit two consecutive 3-pointers before her teammates could continue.
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teammates → speak → pointers
Reese said the exercise left her upset with Smesko and worried about embarrassing herself in front of the team.
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exercise → say → team
"It's really hard for me to not want to rush success, and Karl told me how patient I had to be with it.
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I → want → it
I remember a very moment in training camp where we were going through drills and he stopped everybody and told me I had to make two in a row in front of everybody," Reese said.
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Reese → remember → everybody
"And you never want to shutdown your teammates, you never want to let your teammates down, and we couldn't resume the drill until I made two in a row, and I was upset with him that day for sure.
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I → want → him
Because I didn't want to let the team down, I didn't want to feel embarrassed and in how long it coulda took me to make them.
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it → want → them
Reese is known as a poor shooter, and is often mocked for missing easy shots in games.
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Reese → know → games
She has even gotten in on the jokes herself by launching merchandise under the brand "Mebounds" in 2025.
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She → get → 2025
The term is a mocking play on "rebounds," referring to the rebounds she collects after missing her own shots.
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she → mock → shots
Later in Friday's postgame news conference, Reese was asked how many shots she needed to make two consecutively.
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she → ask → two
"I don't know," Reese answered.
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Reese → know → ?
"It wasn't that many," Smesko said.
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Smesko → say → ?
"My teammates are cheering for me on the sideline, and I was pretty embarrassed," Reese added.
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Reese → cheer → sideline
Now, months later, she made two 3-pointers in Atlanta’s 85-83 victory over the New York Liberty, which completed a semifinal sweep and sent the Dream to their first Finals since 2013.
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which → make → 2013
Her recollection addressed an area of her game that has attracted scrutiny throughout her professional career.
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that → address → career
Reese publicly pushed back against criticism of her missed layups in November 2024, following a rookie season in which she made 39.1% of her shots.
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she → push → shots
Her shooting numbers since then show progress from that rookie season, with a more modest change during her first year in Atlanta.
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numbers → show → Atlanta
Reese made 45.1% of her shots this regular season, slightly below the 45.8% she made in her second season with Chicago.
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she → make → Chicago
She attempted 3-pointers more frequently with the Dream, but still made fewer than one in five during the regular season.
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She → attempt → season
She has made five of 13 playoff 3-point attempts (38.5%).
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She → make → attempts
That represents a stronger stretch across just five games.
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That → represent → games
Reese’s overall production grew in Atlanta.
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production → grow → Atlanta
She averaged a career-high 16.4 points, again led the WNBA in rebounding and won her first Defensive Player of the Year award.
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She → average → award
She finished Friday’s clinching victory with 22 points and nine rebounds.
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She → finish → points
The opportunity followed an April trade that sent Reese from Chicago to Atlanta for two first-round draft picks, with the Dream also receiving a future second-round pick swap.
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Dream → follow → swap
Chicago missed the playoffs in both of her seasons there and finished 10-34 in 2025.
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Chicago → miss → 2025
Atlanta already had a franchise-record 30-win season behind it and retained a core that included All-Star guards Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard and two-time WNBA champion Jordin Canada.
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that → have → Gray
Reese joined an established playoff team in Smesko’s second season as coach.
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Reese → join → coach
The Dream matched that 30-14 record this year and earned the fourth seed, giving them home-court advantage against Washington in the first round and New York in the semifinals.
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Dream → match → semifinals
Sixth-seeded Indiana drew defending champion Las Vegas immediately and lost the deciding game on the road.
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Indiana → seed → road
The Finals berth came despite Atlanta losing center Brionna Jones to a season-ending leg injury and playing the final two games against New York without Gray, who had a left hand injury.
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who → come → injury
Clark, who entered the WNBA alongside Reese in 2024, reached the playoffs first, during their rookie season.
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who → enter → season
She missed the entire 2025 postseason with an injury, when Indiana eliminated Atlanta before falling one win short of the Finals against Las Vegas.
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Indiana → miss → Vegas
This year, Clark averaged a career-high 22.3 points and helped lead the highest-scoring offense in WNBA history alongside Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.
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Clark → average → Mitchell
Indiana finished 28-16 before its first-round elimination.
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Indiana → finish → elimination
Reese will now pursue her first WNBA championship, with the Finals scheduled to begin Oct. 17.
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Finals → pursue → championship
Atlanta is seeking its first title in franchise history.
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Atlanta → seek → history
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