The pain of a Game 7 loss is something no athlete wants to experience, and for Angel Reese, that agony was on full display—not just on her face, but in the emotional reaction of her family, caught by cameras as she walked off the court.
Reese and the Atlanta Dream fell to the Golden State Valkyries 68-63 at the Chase Center on Saturday night, ending their championship hopes in the 2026 WNBA Finals. It was a gut-wrenching end to a series that had gone the distance, and the cameras didn't miss a moment of Reese's family's raw response as she made her way to the locker room with her mom by her side.
Despite the loss, Reese's pride in her team was unmistakable. "This is the most fun I've had with a group. It's the most competitive team I've been part of," she said postgame, per ESPN. "And just because we didn't win today doesn't mean that we won't be champions in the future."
That resilience has defined Reese's journey, especially after her historic run in the WNBA Finals that saw her break rebounding records and cement her status as a superstar. Her coach, Karl Smesko, has been a pivotal figure in that growth, and Reese is already looking ahead to building on what they've started.
"When individually you get better in the offseason, you get better collectively, and you can see that Karl puts a lot of work in," Reese said. "I'm sure he's going to see all of us this offseason, and I'm honestly looking forward to another year under Karl and his development and his system."
Smesko, for his part, echoed that sentiment while also acknowledging where the series slipped away. "When you're playing a great defensive team and it's just a lot of isolation, rather than working together to create shots, it just never worked for us in the series," he said. "That was probably our biggest weakness in the series. I really thought after Game 6, especially that first half and how we were playing offensively, that it would carry over to today. There really were just too many empty possessions."
The Dream's offensive struggles were a recurring theme, and the Valkyries' defense proved to be the difference-maker. But for Reese, the sting of this loss is tempered by a belief that her time will come. "It is tough in the moment, but we'll be back. I always say, 'delayed, not denied,'" she said.
As the confetti fell for the Valkyries, Reese's family's faces told the story of a dream deferred. But if her track record is any indication, this is far from the last we'll see of her in the Finals spotlight. The 2027 season can't come soon enough for Reese and the Dream.
