Atlanta's Crowd Made Feelings Toward Angel Reese Clear During Home Opener

Atlanta is officially welcoming Angel Reese on Sunday.

The third-year WNBA forward, who is coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons, was officially traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream earlier this offseason. She's already played a couple of games on the road for the Dream, before making her home debut on Sunday.

The crowd came alive in a big way.

Atlanta's crowd gave Reese a raucous standing ovation as she was announced as a starter for the Dream on Sunday.

Reese, who grew up in Maryland, transferred from the University of Maryland to LSU for her final two collegiate seasons.

So, she knows what it's like to have serious change during her career.

Reese comments on her trade from Chicago to Atlanta

Reese explained that she's built for these kind of tough situations.

"Transferring from Maryland and going to LSU and winning a championship, it feels like deja vu right now," Reese said. "And I get chills right now because being a part of Chicago my first two years and going to Atlanta, I just feel that urge right now that I'm going to win again.

"And having that within me and just being able to do that - It's not easy to go be by yourself in the dark and those lonely nights and those long nights thinking by yourself. Social media has it out there to be one way. But at the end of the day, you gotta sit with yourself and tell yourself what you want in life and continue to put yourself in spaces and rooms feel super uncomfortable.

"Because you're not always going to be comfortable and you shouldn't feel comfortable. So take those scary steps, even if it the person next you might not believe in you. Know that I believe in you and continue to push through."

Reese and the Dream are taking on the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. The game is airing live on Peacock.

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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 10:51 AM.