Angel Reese makes yet more WNBA history amid claims she is not as ‘marketable’ as Caitlin Clark

Angel Reese’s debut for Atlanta got off to a dream start, eventually.

The Dream fought back from a 19-point deficit in the first half to clinch a narrow 91-90 victory over the Minnesota Lynx to kickstart their 2026 WNBA campaign.

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Reese – whose blockbuster trade from the Chicago Sky was the story of the offseason – came up with the game-saving shot block of Emese Hof’s layup attempt as the buzzer sounded.

This capped off what was a solid outing for the 24-year-old, in which she racked up 11 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

In doing so, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to 50 double-doubles, achieving the feat in 65 games.

She also became the second-youngest player to hit the milestone, eclipsed by only Tina Charles, who announced her retirement from the WNBA on Tuesday.

“It was tough for me, obviously, because I didn’t finish well tonight, and I was really hard on myself,” Reese said postgame.

“But, I mean, this is what basketball is, and we talk about it all the time about next best action and being able to be ready for the next possession.

“I knew I needed to come up for my teammates on the last possession and get that block … no matter what happened before that.

“So I just give kudos to my teammates for continuing to instill confidence in me. My rookie year, I probably would have just melted and not be able to fight back and be able to come out with that big block. So shoutout to my teammates.”

It was a stunning victory for Atlanta on the road, after they completed a 28-point fourth-quarter comeback thanks to clutch plays down the stretch from guards Te-Hina Paopao and Allisha Gray – one of talkSPORT’s top 10 players in the WNBA for 2026.

The win came despite Atlanta shooting just 42 percent from the floor to Minnesota’s 50 percent, and registering 20 turnovers in the game to the Lynx’s 15.

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“Angel’s been practicing great, and she came up big at the biggest moments. She had that late layup and offensive rebound, and then, she had the block to win it,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said after the win.

“I do think at first she was just trying to feel her way around a little bit, maybe first game nerves with us, but then, just like she is, she’s a total competitor.

“When the game came to the end, and we needed a play, she made it. And [I’m] not surprised at all. She’s that type of person.”

Reese still not deemed as ‘marketable’ as Caitlin Clark

There is no doubt about it that Reese has star power.

But there is some debate over whether she is as ‘marketable’ as some of her competitors.

According to NBA superstar Kevin Durant‘s sports media and entertainment company, Boardroom, Reese ranks fourth on their list of the most marketable WNBA players entering the 2026 season.

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Three-time WNBA champion and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces ranks in at number one, with UConn icon and Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers coming in at number two on the list.

Caitlin Clark comes in next at number three, which has also been hotly disputed, with some claiming she should be No. 1.

The Indiana Fever star’s arrival into the WNBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft coincided with the huge surge in popularity that the league experienced.

Ticket prices for Fever games rose. Indiana games were front-and-center for national broadcasts with all 44 of their regular season games on TV. Jersey sales of Clark’s iconic No. 22 were unprecedented.

Some have even made the case that Clark’s arrival into the WNBA gave the Players’ Association that extra leverage they needed to be able to force the league into agreeing to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement which saw her pay increase by six-times the amount of her initial rookie contract.

But two-time All-Star Reese would argue that her Reebok shoe deal and her appearance as the cover athlete on 2K’s flagship video game NBA 2K26, tips her above her former collegiate rival, and potentially Bueckers, who is only in the second season of her young professional career.

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