Angel Reese is headed to the WNBA Finals, and she wants the world to know who got her there. After the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85 to 83 on Friday, Oct. 9, to finish a semifinal sweep, Reese credited her mother, Angel Webb Reese, the single mom who raised her and her brother largely on her own.
Reese said all she has ever asked of her mother is to support her, show up and love her, and that her mom has done exactly that. She said her mother is proud because she knows the dark moments Reese has been through.
What did Angel Reese say about her mom?
Reese described her mother as loving and caring rather than hard on her. She said reaching this stage feels like a way to repay her mom and let her live through her success. She added that she does not take having a mother like that for granted.
Those words carried extra weight after a night when Reese led the Dream with 22 points, 18 of them before halftime, along with nine rebounds. Atlanta is now 5 and 0 in the playoffs.
Who is Angel Reese’s mother?
Angel Webb Reese is where her daughter’s name and her game come from. She played college basketball at UMBC and later played professionally overseas in Luxembourg. She and Michael Reese separated when Angel was young, and she took on the main role of raising Angel Reese and her younger brother, Julian, who also went on to play college basketball at Maryland.
This is the part of Reese’s story that rarely makes the highlight reels. Long before the nicknames, the viral moments and the debates about her game, there was a Black single mother in Baltimore pouring her own basketball knowledge into two kids and making sure they had what they needed.
What are the dark moments Angel Reese has faced?
Angel Reese did not detail them Friday, but her path has been anything but smooth. She spent two seasons with the Chicago Sky without reaching the playoffs while facing constant criticism of her shooting and her style. Much of the attention she drew, online and in arenas, crossed from fair critique into personal attacks.
Then the Sky traded her to Atlanta. Instead of shrinking, Angel Reese used it as fuel. Coach Karl Smesko worked with her on her offense, and she became the kind of player a contender could build around. She was also named Defensive Player of the Year.
Did Angel Reese predict the Dream’s Finals run?
In a way, yes. Nearly a year ago, Angel Reese posted online about manifesting a trip to the Finals. Now it is real. She has said her belief in her teammates and their trust in her helped make it happen.
That confidence is something many Black women athletes learn early, often from the women who raised them. When the outside world doubts you, the voice at home has to be louder.
When do the WNBA Finals start?
The Dream face the Golden State Valkyries in a best of seven series that begins Saturday, Oct. 17, in San Francisco. Both teams are chasing their first championship. Atlanta lost in its three previous Finals trips in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
After the win, Angel Reese made it clear the job is not done. Whatever happens next, one person will be in the stands for every game, just like always.
