Atlanta Dream center Angel Reese has won the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, the league announced Thursday, making her the first player in franchise history to win the award.
Reese received 46 of the 74 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, while Golden State's Gabby Williams received 20, Las Vegas' A'ja Wilson got four, Washington's Shakira Austin received two, and Golden State's Veronica Burton and Atlanta's Rhyne Howard each got one.
"I told my coaches earlier in the season I am going to be the Defensive Player of the Year," Reese told ESPN. "I don't know if it's going to be this year, I don't know if it's going to be next year, but I'm challenging myself, and I want you guys to challenge me every day to be that. And here it is."
Reese told ESPN that when she joined the Dream, she had "expectations knowing how good the team was going to be."
"I always think team success leads to individual success," she said. "I've always been a great defender ... but I knew coming to Atlanta, it was going to put me on a bigger [stage] ... and lead to wins."
In her first season with the Dream -- and third in the league -- Reese set multiple WNBA records, including the most rebounds in a single season (500) and the most rebounds in a single game (26 against the Los Angeles Sparks).
Reese also set the WNBA single-season record with 32 double-doubles. She finished the regular season averaging a league-best 12.3 rebounds per game. With her 16.4 points per game, she was one of just two players to average a double-double.
During the regular season, the Dream limited opponents to 7.9 points per 100 possessions fewer when Reese was on the floor than when she was off of it -- the second-best defensive differential among players who played at least 500 minutes. She contested 507 field goal attempts this season, the 10th most in the league.
"She can guard any position," Dream head coach Karl Smesko said. "She's not afraid of any challenge. She relishes these opportunities and steps up in big moments. We saw that from the very first game of the year. She made a defensive play to help us win the first game she played for the Dream."
Reese is third in the WNBA in steals per game (1.8), trailing only Dream teammates Howard (2.3) and Jordin Canada (1.9). She also leads the league in opponent turnover percentage differential.
As a team, the Dream had the third-best defense in the league. While competing with opponents, Atlanta played a friendly game within the game among themselves, seeing who could tally the most deflections and steals. It was a fun, yet motivating way for them to keep their defensive intensity.
"When I said last week that the Defensive Player of the Year was in Atlanta, I felt that because Jordin's and Rhyne's impact can't go unnoticed," Reese said. "I have the trophy and I definitely want them to sign the trophy. They deserve it as much as I do."
After sweeping the Washington Mystics in the first round of the playoffs, Atlanta will face the New York Liberty in the semifinals -- the Dream's first semifinal appearance since 2018.