Angel Reese became the first player in WNBA history to record 500 rebounds in a single season, achieving the milestone on Sept. 19 during a game against the Chicago Sky. Reese, a forward for the Atlanta Dream, reached 495 rebounds before the contest and secured her 500th rebound in the second quarter with 1:50 remaining, following a deflection and defensive board.

Reese has continued to set new benchmarks throughout the 2026 regular season. On Aug. 30, she notched her 29th double-double of the campaign in an 89-81 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, surpassing the previous WNBA single-season double-double record of 28, which was set by Alyssa Thomas in 2023. At that game’s 5:40 mark in the fourth quarter, Reese recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds to break the record.

Earlier in the month, on Aug. 24, Reese established a new WNBA single-game rebound record with 26 total rebounds, including 18 defensive and eight offensive boards, during the Dream’s 78-71 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. The same day, she also set a new single-season rebounding mark with 458 rebounds, eclipsing Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson’s record of 451 from 2024.

Reese reached 900 career rebounds in just 71 games on May 29, the fastest in league history, and scored her 1,000th career point on June 2 in a 91-75 win against Connecticut. Selected seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky but playing with the Dream, Reese has maintained a double-double average for the third consecutive season. Her current averages include career highs of 16.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 steals through 41 games. She leads the league in total rebounds, offensive rebounds with 5.1 per game, and double-doubles with 30, while ranking third in steals.

Reese recently returned from representing Team USA, where she won gold at the FIBA World Cup. On the marketing side, she released a Barbie doll in July to coincide with her standout season.

Dream head coach Karl Smesko praised Reese’s performance, highlighting her record-breaking rebounds and double-doubles, and suggested that her accomplishments merit recognition for All-WNBA honors, as well as potential Defensive Player of the Year consideration. “Angel is smashing double-double records. All the rebound records, single-game rebound records. She’s having the best season of her career,” Smesko said on Sept. 17.

Reese emphasized her competitive mindset in an August interview, stating, “Anything that goes up is mine... I want to be one of [the best] when I walk away from the game. So just being able to be consistent every night is something I’m looking forward to doing.”