Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese’s dominance on the boards is one of one.
Reese recorded the 57th double-double of her career on Tuesday in the Dream’s 82-75 win over the Chicago Sky, where she recorded as many points as rebounds against her former team with 17 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Reese’s career total sets a new WNBA record for the most double-doubles through a player’s first 75 games and ties Blake Griffin for the second-most in that time span if you factor in the NBA.
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Only Shaquille O’Neal (63), a fellow LSU alum, recorded more double-doubles through the first 75 games of a career over the past 40 years, according to ESPN. Tim Duncan and David Robinson each had 53.
Despite adding another accomplishment to her growing resume, Reese said she’s more happy to notch the Dream’s 11th victory of the season.
“I mean it doesn’t matter unless I get a win,” Reese said after the final buzzer rang. “I was able to get a lot of double-doubles my first two years (in Chicago), but it feels good when you get a win. So I’m really happy to be with the Dream. I’m really excited and we continue to march on for this Commissioner Cup.”
Reese is averaging a double-double for the third consecutive season, averaging 13.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists through 11 games. She leads the league in total rebounds and offensive rebounds (5.5 per game) and her eight double-doubles ties the Connecticut Sun‘s Aneesah Morrow for the most this season.
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The 24-year-old was traded to the Dream in the offseason after playing two seasons in Chicago, where she was drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2024. She set a single-season franchise record for total rebounds (446) her rookie season and became the fastest WNBA player to reach 20 double-doubles in a season.
On Tuesday, Reese received a warm welcome from the crowd in her regular-season return to Wintrust Arena. She explained that the feeling was mutual, saying she’s “excited to be back” in Chicago.
“A lot of great things did happen here,” Reese said during a pregame appearance on ESPN’s “WNBA Countdown” Tuesday. “I got drafted here and I have a lot of great memories here, so it’s always good to see familiar faces, but I’m here with the Dream this time and I’m excited to be with them.”
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) is defended by Chicago Sky center-forward Elizabeth Williams (1) during the first half at Wintrust Arena on Jun 9, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
Reese credited Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko for helping her improve her rebounding and shooting abilities.
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“He’s very intentional with my development, even with my rebounding,” Reese said Tuesday. “I thought I was a great rebounder before and (he’s) very intentional about how I can be … better. He talks about the (Sacramento) Monarchs and how they will win the best rebounding teams in history. He wants me to be a part of that and our team to be that too. … It’s just a matter of time you’ll be able to see the results.”
That’s not the only milestone Reese has achieved this year. She reached 900 rebounds in only 71 games on May 29, the fastest to that mark in WNBA history. She scored the 1,000th point of her WNBA career in the Dream’s 91-75 win over the Connecticut Sun on June 2.
Contributing: Meghan L. Hall
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese sets a WNBA record for double-doubles
