Key Takeaways
- Angel Reese grabbed a WNBA-record 26 rebounds and scored 11 points as the Atlanta Dream beat the Los Angeles Sparks 78-71.
- Reese surpassed Chamique Holdsclaw’s 23-year-old single-game mark of 24 rebounds and broke A’ja Wilson’s season record by raising her total to 458.
- Her league-leading 27th double-double helped Atlanta improve to 25-13 and extend its winning streak over Los Angeles to nine games.
Angel Reese rewrote the WNBA record book on Monday, August 24.
According to Al Jazeera, the Atlanta Dream star hauled down a league-record 26 rebounds in a 78-71 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, breaking a single-game mark that had stood for more than 23 years. Reese also pushed her season total to 458 rebounds, giving her another WNBA record and adding the latest milestone to a career that has been defined by historic production on the boards.
Reese blew past the previous single-game record of 24 rebounds, set by Chamique Holdsclaw for the Washington Mystics in May 2003. Her 458 boards this season also surpassed A'ja Wilson's previous WNBA record of 451, set in 2024.
And Reese did it on a night when her shot wasn't cooperating.
"Last time I was here, I didn't miss any shots. Tonight I couldn't hit anything, so I knew I was going to be able to get them on the rebounding side," Reese said after the game. "I just want to be there for my team. Offensively, defensively, whatever it takes to win."
She finished with 11 points and didn't secure her 27th double-double of the season until scoring with 13.9 seconds remaining. That total also leads the WNBA.
Dream guard Allisha Gray, who scored a team-high 20 points, had a much simpler assessment of what she watched.
"That's a talent," Gray said. "I'm just in awe watching her rebound."
For Reese, the numbers are becoming difficult to separate from the larger arc of her career.
She entered the WNBA as the No. 7 overall pick in 2024 and immediately established herself as one of the league's most relentless rebounders. During her rookie season with the Chicago Sky, Reese averaged a then-rookie-record 13.1 rebounds per game and ripped off 15 consecutive double-doubles, setting another league record.
She led the WNBA in rebounding in each of her first two seasons. Now in her first year with Atlanta, she's on pace to make it three straight, averaging 12.0 rebounds per game.
That production has continued even as Reese's career has become increasingly combustible elsewhere. Her move from Chicago to Atlanta changed the complexion of several old relationships, most notably with former Sky teammate Isabelle Harrison.
The two went from teammates during Reese's rookie season to opponents this year, culminating in Harrison being ejected after receiving a Flagrant 2 for taking Reese to the floor during a heated June matchup.
The victory also kept Atlanta rolling. The Dream improved to 25-13 and extended their winning streak against Los Angeles to nine games. Rhyne Howard added 18 points and crossed 3,000 for her career, while Gray set a franchise record for field goals in a season.
