It was exactly one year ago when Angel Reese proclaimed her goal for the 2026 WNBA season.
“Manifesting the finals>>>” she tweeted on Oct. 10, 2025, at 9:01 p.m. ET.
One year later, Reese made it to the WNBA Finals with her new team, the Atlanta Dream, after defeating the New York Liberty on Friday night, 85-83. It marked the first Finals appearance for Atlanta since 2013, and Reese’s first-ever chance at being crowned a WNBA champion.
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After the Game 3 win, Reese told ESPN, “I manifested this,” and the receipt was obviously there on her social media.
“When I came to Atlanta, I knew what I was getting,” she added. “This team has poured so much into me. We poured so much into each other.
“I posted and tweeted, 10/10/25, that I was manifesting the Finals, and this is my moment.”
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Reese went on to “thank God for this moment,” believing she is “supposed to be here.”
Securing a championship is something Reese has done in the past, namely with her LSU Tigers when she went head-to-head with Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA women’s basketball national championship three years ago. Reese and the Tigers came out on top in the historic contest that drew millions of viewers due to the rivalry between the programs.
On Friday night, Reese did her best to help the Dream reach the final series of the season, dropping 22 points while securing nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks. It was a three-game sweep of New York, and the Dream now head into the Finals with the momentum needed to secure the franchise’s first-ever trophy.
It won’t be an easy task, though, as Reese will have to go up against a stacked Golden State Valkyries squad that took down A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in a surprising series.
But Reese, who was named Defensive Player of the Year this season, is hoping her manifestation ends in the best way possible, hoisting the Finals trophy alongside her teammates and being crowned a WNBA champion for life.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will begin on Oct. 17 at Golden State.
