X (Twitter)
Angel Reese was brought to tears as her mom walked in with a big bouquet of flowers in one hand and the 2026 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy in the other.
On April 6, 2026, the Atlanta Dream acquired Angel Reese through a trade with the Chicago Sky. Now, nearly six months later, Reese’s impact can be seen all around the Dream franchise.
She did not take long to begin making her mark. The very same day Reese joining the Dream was announced, ticket demand for the squad grew exponentially. That was in part because of Reese’s play on the court, but also because of who she is as a person.
The Angel Reese Effect
Reese has been, like the name of her podcast, Unapologetically Angel, since college. With unbridled confidence, a love for all things beauty and fashion, and a penchant for trash talk, Reese has never shied away from being herself. And it’s paying off, both for her and for the Dream.
“Atlanta Dream ticket demand spiked 15x after trading for Angel Reese, the largest single day spike in franchise history," StubHub posted on X. "The Angel Reese Effect is real."
Atlanta was the city that needed this impact.
“Atlanta Dream ticket demand spiked 15x after trading for Angel Reese, the largest single day spike in franchise history. The Angel Reese Effect is real.”
Bringing the Dream to a Bigger Stage
As a league, the WNBA has seen a large growth, especially since 2024—the year Reese and Caitlin Clark were drafted. In fact, in 2024, the WNBA was the fastest-growing brand in professional sports.
This past May, the Valkyries became the first WNBA team to reach a valuation of $1 billion. But the Dream has yet to reach these marks.
Atlanta sits second-to-last in value at $330 million, ahead of only Toronto—a new expansion team. The Dream are also tied for last in revenue, bringing in only $17 million in 2025, $14 million below the average and well below the highest-grossing Valkyries’ $78 million.
Part of this may be due to the squad’s arena.
The Dream play in the Gateway Center Arena, which has a capacity of 3,500 people, making it the smallest arena in the WNBA. But, since 2024, Atlanta has moved a total of nine regular season games to State Farm Arena, including six in 2026.
Interest in the team continues to grow, with evidence of this coming to fruition through the season. Reese is a major part of that.
The Dream were set to face off against the reigning champions on Aug. 3—A’ja Wilson and the Aces.
Angel Reese’s Barbie Doll was also set to release that day, so the Dream did a Barbie Game Day. Due to high demand, the game was moved to State Farm Arena, which was transformed into the Atlanta Dream House.
"What started as extraordinary momentum has skyrocketed,” said president and COO Morgan Shaw-Parker in a statement about the game. “Adding a sixth game at State Farm Arena allows us to welcome thousands more fans and continue building something truly special for this city. The demand we're seeing today speaks not only to the success of the Dream, but to the future of women's sports and the tremendous opportunity ahead for Atlanta."
Fans were instructed to wear pink, packages were given out with Barbie-themed clothing and the team warmed up in Barbie attire.
Despite losing, the team still reached an impressive milestone. The Dream were able to surpass the attendance recorded in all of 2025, just 15 home-games into the 2026 season.
With the WNBA continuing to see record-growth, Atlanta boasting the most-followed player in the league on the roster could allow the team to catch back up with the rest of league financially, while also growing its fanbase as a whole.
Making Her Mark on the Court
Reese’s fanbase comes with her success on the court.
Known for her relentlessness on the glass, she has put her rebounding expertise on full display through the WNBA season, leading the league with 12.1 boards per game—7.3 of which are on the defensive side.
She also sits third in the league with 1.8 steals per game, behind teammates Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada. And, with Reese on the court, the Dream allowed 7.9 fewer points per 100 possessions.
Through the 2026 season, Reese broke multiple league-wide records. She became the first player to reach 500 rebounds in a single season, recorded 32 double-doubles through the season and posted a game with 26 rebounds.
The addition of the “Bayou Barbie” helped the squad finish fourth overall in the regular season and advance to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018 after sweeping Washington in the first round.
And as the season continues for the Dream, the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year will continue to make her mark on and off the court.
