The WNBA announced the honor Thursday, Oct. 1, after Reese earned 46 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Gabby Williams finished second with 20 votes, while Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson received four votes and finished third.
Reese joined the Dream in April after spending her first two WNBA seasons with the Chicago Sky, who selected her with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 draft. The LSU national champion quickly established herself as a key part of Atlanta's defense while continuing to produce at a high level offensively.
The 6-foot-4 forward averaged a double-double for the third consecutive season, posting career highs of 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals across 43 regular-season games.
Reese led the league in rebounds and offensive rebounds, averaging 4.8 offensive boards per game. She also set WNBA single-season records for total rebounds with 521, offensive rebounds with 206 and double-doubles with 32.
Her 1.8 steals per game ranked third in the league, behind Dream teammates Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada. The trio helped Atlanta finish the regular season with the league's third-best defense.
Reese also reached several milestones during her first season in Atlanta. In June, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, accomplishing the feat in 79 games.
In August, she recorded a WNBA single-game record 26 rebounds, including 18 defensive and eight offensive rebounds, during Atlanta's victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.
She later became the first player in league history to record more than 500 rebounds and 200 offensive rebounds in a single season. Her 32 double-doubles also surpassed Alyssa Thomas' previous single-season mark of 28.
Reese credited Dream head coach Karl Smesko for his role in her development, particularly in improving her rebounding and shooting.
The award comes as Reese makes her WNBA playoff debut. Atlanta entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed and took a 1-0 lead over the No. 5 Washington Mystics after a 92-77 Game 1 victory. Reese recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds for her first career playoff double-double.
