ATLANTA ― Angel Reese is in a league of her own. The Atlanta Dream star is officially the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds.
At the 4:29 mark of the third quarter during an 113-96 win over the Indiana Fever, Reese grabbed an offensive rebound after a miss by Allisha Gray. She then tossed it for two points. Her 1,000 rebounds in 79 games is the quickest in WNBA history, outpacing Tina Charles (89 games).
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“I think people don’t realize, rebounding is harder than you think. Defensive rebounds (are) a little bit more easier, but going in and crashing every single time to get second-chance opportunities on the offensive end,” Reese said of her milestone.
“You can look statistically, but not just from my shots but from my teammates, and it gives us more points. It gives us more opportunities. Just being able to come out and do what I do every single night just shows my consistency.”
More: Angel Reese sets new WNBA record for double-doubles
Reese is averaging a double-double for the third consecutive season, averaging a career-high 15.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists through 14 games. She leads the league in rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game (5.9), and her ten double-doubles ties the Dallas Wings‘ Jessica Shepard for the most this season.
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Here’s the record rebound for Reese:
That’s not the only milestone Reese has hit this season.
Reese set a new WNBA record for the most double-doubles through a player’s first 75 career games with 57 in the Dream’s 82-75 win over the Chicago Sky on June 9. Reese’s career total tied Blake Griffin for the second-most in that time span if you also factor in the NBA. Only Shaquille O’Neal (63) recorded more double-doubles through the first 75 games of a career over the past 40 years, according to ESPN.
Reese reached 900 rebounds in only 71 games on May 29, the fastest to that mark in WNBA history. She also recorded the 1,000th point of her WNBA career in the Dream’s 91-75 win over the Connecticut Sun on June 2.
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Reese credited Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko for helping her improve her rebounding and shooting abilities.
“He’s very intentional with my development, even with my rebounding,” Reese said on June 9. “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.”
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.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese reaches 1,000 career rebounds faster than anyone in WNBA history
