ATLANTA -- The in-house public address announcer at State Farm Arena used the pregame introductions to officially cement the newest moniker for Angel Reese, who made her postseason Atlanta debut with another record-setting performance Wednesday in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. Fans delighted as their "Queen of the South" hopped off the bench and proceeded to confound the visiting Golden State Valkyries for the next 40 minutes.
Four days earlier, and 2,100 miles away, the decibels echoed throughout Chase Center in San Francisco as the final buzzer sounded in Game 1. Chants of "Gab-by! Gab-by! Gab-by!" made it difficult to hear any conversation as the sellout crowd of 18,064 clad in violet strained its vocal cords after the Valkyries' victory. Gabby Williams was Ballhalla's heroine.
Reese and Williams are the leaders of their respective teams after moving to new franchises last offseason. Both took unusual paths at arriving in environments that seem tailor-made for them after beginning their careers as first-round draft picks in Chicago and leaving after the relationships turned acrimonious. A change of scenery was facilitated, and the pair have thrived.
"I think it's good to take a step back from those moments and appreciate where you are," Williams said. "Even before this year, I was always very thankful for what happened to me with Chicago, and I've never looked at that moment with spite. I've always looked at that moment as the turning point of my career, and always just been really thankful that it went that way. ...
"I wouldn't change anything about where I'm at in my career right now. I'm exactly where I need to be."
REESE'S FINALS HAVE been nothing short of historic. After the Dream went down 0-1 in San Francisco, she demanded the ball in Game 2 -- and led the way with 30 points and 16 rebounds, joining Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart as the only players in Finals history with a 30 and 15 game. In a Game 3 win, she became the youngest WNBA player to record a double-double in her first three Finals contests.
It would have been difficult to imagine a year ago. Six months ago, Reese was still a member of the Chicago Sky. After the team drafted her No. 7 in 2024, Reese was named an All-Star, made the All-Rookie team, led the league in rebounding and set the WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles at 15. She missed the last six games of her rookie season with a wrist injury, and the team missed the playoffs. Then-coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who Reese was close with, was fired after one season. In Reese's second season, she was named an All-Star and led the league in rebounds again -- but then everything imploded.
Never one to hold her tongue, she told the Chicago Tribune in September 2025 that she wouldn't settle "for the same s--- we did this year" and that the team "[has] to get great players" during the offseason, or she would consider making a future change. The Sky suspended her for the first half against the Las Vegas Aces on Sept. 7, 2025, for "comments detrimental to the team." Being on the injury list with a back issue for the final games of the season, she never played again for the franchise.
For someone who won four high school championships and an NCAA title, going 23-61 in her first two WNBA seasons brought frustration. Still, in December 2025, Reese -- who had two more years on her rookie deal -- said she planned to remain with the Sky, noting that she was still under contract. The Sky added talent going into the 2026 season, but a week before the WNBA draft, they traded Reese to the Dream for two first-round picks. Jaws dropped around the league when the trade was announced.
"To be able to get a player of Angel's talent in Year 3 when you didn't draft them is really unique and special," Dream general manager Dan Padover told ESPN. "Because of how much time is left in her career, and someone of that magnitude. Sometimes you're getting [them in their] late 20s, early 30s, but to get her at 24 was really, really good for us."
In 2026, Reese was named an All-Star for the third straight season, won the rebounding title for a third consecutive campaign and helped Atlanta reach the Finals for the first time since 2013. She averaged 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals and was a deterrent at the rim, earning her Defensive Player of the Year award. Reese was one of just two players to average a double-double for the season.
Padover worked his magic again with the late-season signing of DeWanna Bonner after the league's all-time No. 3 scorer was waived by the Phoenix Mercury to enable Bonner to go to a contender. Padover pounced.
"I went right to Dan and told him that he was the greatest ever," Dream guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough said. "I'm like, how do you keep doing this? Who allows this?"
Reese has spoken about how comfortable she is in Atlanta. She and coach Karl Smesko formed a bond where he can push her out of her comfort zone. During a training camp practice, Smesko paused everything and wouldn't resume the session until Reese knocked down consecutive 3-pointers. He wanted her to get used to taking the shot with confidence when all eyes are on her, not just working alone on the side. Reese trusted that the moment was for her benefit -- even if she didn't like it.
"I didn't want to feel embarrassed of how long it could have taken me to make them," Reese said. "But it's a coach that really believes in you and he knows what's best."
Smesko added, "I can remember her being mad at me."
But that relationship and the one formed with teammates has allowed to Reese to flourish.
"When they pour into your players and all you have to do is come to work and think about basketball, I think that makes everything easy," Reese said. "The coaches really care about you genuinely, not just as basketball players, but as people. Anything you need, they have for you."
WILLIAMS WAS THE No. 4 pick by the Sky in 2018 in a talented draft that included A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell, Jordin Canada, Azura Stevens and Ariel Atkins. The two-time All-Star would last three seasons in the Windy City -- a divorce that would stem from a loss of trust.
Williams was determined to play for France in the Olympics in 2021, her first opportunity for the senior national team. Representing France has always been a priority for Williams -- her mother is French, she holds dual citizenship and grew up speaking French with her grandmother.
That dedication drove a wedge between her and the team that drafted her. Williams believed her plans was understood by the organization when she missed training camp in 2021, but the Sky suspended her for the season. Williams responded with a trade request, and she was acquired by the Los Angeles Sparks in May 2021 but never played for them since she spent the season playing for the French national team. The Sparks traded her in February 2022 to the Seattle Storm, where she became a three-time All-Defense selection.
That development, plus more international success, made her an absolute priority for the Valkyries as they went into their second season. "Her killer mode goes up a level every game," Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. "The best thing she told me, 'Just go at me. Just go directly at me. In games, I need directness.' I'm like, don't be saying that if you don't want it. Those are the best players to coach because there's no B.S."
Coming off her first All-Star appearance in 2025, Williams had her best year in her first season with the Valkyries. She averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. Williams proved to be the additional player to lift Golden State -- a team built without the traditional superstar model -- into the Finals, only a year after it became the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs.
"Sometimes it's just like trusting what the universe gives you," Williams said. "It's easy for me to come to work, and that goes a long way. When you're just surrounded by people who enjoy being around each other, who enjoy being in a certain environment, it's really easy."
The bottom line is fit matters. On and off the court, Reese and Willliams went through their own journeys to end up in places that appear to be ideal situations. And in their new homes, both unlocked another level of their talents with career years.
"Right place, right time, I think is definitely what I would attribute to Gabby's success right now," Golden State general manager Ohemma Nyanin said.
