Angel Reese warms up ahead of 2026 WNBA Finals Game 1 tipoff

2026 Defensive Player of the Year makes her Finals debut.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 1h1 min read

Cool. Calm. Collected. Composed ✨ Angel Reese is putting in the work before showtime ➡️ 3:30pm/ET | ATL-GSV | NBC &amp Via @WNBA on X

What happened: Angel Reese completed pregame court work Saturday afternoon ahead of Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries. The series opener is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock at Golden State.

Why it matters: The matchup marks the first Finals appearance since 2013 for Atlanta, which acquired Reese from the Chicago Sky six months ago. Since the trade, Reese broke the WNBA single-season offensive-rebound record and earned All-Defensive Team honors alongside teammates Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada.

By the numbers: Reese enters the 30th WNBA Finals holding the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year award and the league single-season offensive rebounding mark as Atlanta and Golden State each pursue a first franchise championship.

What to watch: Game 1 tips off at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Bay Area, with Golden State hosting the opening game of the championship series.

Sources

@WNBA 2026-10-17T18:08:25.686574+00:00

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