ATLANTA — Angel Reese has done it again. The Atlanta Dream forward and reigning Defensive Player of the Year has shattered yet another WNBA record — and this time, she’s taken down a mark that many believed belonged to Caitlin Clark.
Reese’s 2026 season has been a masterclass in dominance on the glass, and her latest milestone cements her place as one of the most statistically dominant players the league has ever seen. But the record she just broke? It’s one that Clark fans held sacred.
The Record
With her 32nd double-double of the season — a WNBA single-season record — Reese surpassed the previous mark of 28, set by Alyssa Thomas in 2023 . But the more significant record came on the boards.
Reese finished the 2026 regular season with 521 total rebounds, becoming the first player in WNBA history to reach 500 rebounds in a single season . She also set the single-season record for offensive rebounds with 206 .
The 500-rebound milestone is a record that had never been touched in league history. Reese didn’t just break it — she obliterated it, surpassing A’ja Wilson’s previous mark of 451 by a staggering 70 rebounds .
Breaking Caitlin Clark’s Shadow
Here’s the thing about Angel Reese: for all her individual brilliance, she has spent her entire professional career living in the shadow of Caitlin Clark’s cultural phenomenon. Their rivalry — born from the 2023 NCAA championship game — has defined the WNBA’s modern era .
But on the boards, Reese has no rival.
Her 12.1 rebounds per game led the league for the third consecutive season. Those three seasons represent the three highest rebounding averages in WNBA history. No other player has ever averaged even 12 rebounds per game .
“I like to think it’s the Baltimore in her,” Hall of Famer Chamique Holdsclaw told The Mirror. “That drive, that energetic presence, and she does that. Man, it shows up” .
Holdsclaw, whose 24-rebound single-game record stood for 23 years before Reese broke it with 26 against Los Angeles on August 24, knew it was only a matter of time .
“Records are made to be broken,” Holdsclaw said. “I knew she was going to get it. I kept talking, I was like, ‘She’s going to break that record this year'” .
More Than Rebounds
The rebounding records are the headline, but they tell only part of the story. Reese averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game, added 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks, and finished third in the league in steals per game .
Her defensive impact was transformative. Atlanta ranked third in defensive rating, allowing a league-low 9.5 second-chance points per game . Reese’s 32 double-doubles led the league, and she was one of only two players to average a double-double .
On September 30, she was named the 2026 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year — the first Dream player ever to win the award .
A First Trip to the Playoffs
Reese’s individual brilliance has finally translated to team success. After missing the postseason in each of her first two seasons with the Chicago Sky, Reese has led Atlanta to a 30-14 record, the No. 4 seed, and a semifinal berth .
In Game 1 against the New York Liberty, Reese stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three blocks — the most combined steals and blocks in a semifinals debut in WNBA history .
In Game 2, she added 23 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks as Atlanta took a 2-0 series lead . The Dream are now two wins away from the WNBA Finals.
“I remember last year when I was playing against [Tina Charles] and how she was giving me little keys to playing around the basket,” Reese said. “All the vets pour into me. The players that have come before me were able to do so many amazing things, so I can be in this very moment right now” .
What It Means
The irony isn’t lost on anyone. Reese and Clark — forever linked by their college rivalry and their shared arrival in the WNBA — are now competing for a different kind of legacy. Clark holds the scoring records, the assist records, the cultural cachet. But Reese holds the glass.
And as the 2026 playoffs continue, Reese has a chance to do something Clark has yet to accomplish: win a championship.
The rivalry hasn’t cooled. But the narrative is shifting. Angel Reese is no longer just Caitlin Clark’s foil. She is a record-breaker in her own right — and she’s not done yet.
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