Sophie Cunningham Lauds Angel Reese For Standing Up For Her Teammate

When Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream punched their ticket to the 2026 Finals, it was a surreal moment not just for the superstar forward, but also for the legion of WNBA fans who defended her ability amidst several question marks.

In 2024, many questioned whether the Maryland native had the skill to stay in the league. After all, the WNBA is notorious for chewing out high draft picks even though they were highly successful in college.

Most barely last beyond the league’s average tenure of 4-5 years. Only 8% make it past 10 years. At the time, Reese’s critics felt her rebounding alone couldn’t keep her around long.

Even when Angel Reese racked up back-to-back All-Star appearances, those doubts remained. But with the Dream, her role changed. Despite four other perennial All-Stars, the 24-year-old became their best overall player.

A Defensive Player of the Year award and consistently clutch scoring helped her break out as one of the league’s best players. But what caught Sophie Cunningham‘s attention while discussing those games on her No Hesitation podcast was how Reese evolved into another role.

I appreciate her having her teammate’s back. That just shows that she cares, and she loves her teammates.

Sophie Cunningham said

The Indiana Fever guard pointed out that Sabrina Ionescu was already incensed because of Isobel Borlase‘s foul on the previous play and retaliated. But Reese, standing up for her rookie, displayed the LSU alum’s leadership.

For someone who knows what it means to stand up for their teammates, this was high praise coming from Cunningham. She knows how that sets the tone.

Sophie Cunningham demands respect for Angel Reese’s Dream and WNBA Finals

After talking about Angel Reese’s growth from a much-criticized prospect to one of the better players in the league, Sophie Cunningham pivoted to the Arena situation the Atlanta Dream faced ahead of the WNBA Finals.

The city should be coming around them like no other… Can you respect us a little bit? Respect Atlanta… If this was an NBA team this wouldn’t have even come out on social media.

Sophie Cunningham said

This was the 30-year-old pointing out that NBA teams have their way when it comes to leasing prime arenas. Understandably, the WNBA could not get priority before.

But now, the heightened attention and revenue possibilities should force them to rethink their stance. Cunningham stressed that women’s sports should be given their due respect, especially after the way Angel Reese’s presence drew record-setting ticket prices.

CJ McCollum clarifies Hawks had nothing to do with Angel Reese’s Dream Arena problems

Sophie Cunningham would prefer it if major arenas started to take the WNBA seriously. Last year, the Golden State Valkyries could not play their postseason games at Chase Center due to prioritization for Stephen Curry‘s Warriors. This time, it seemed the NBA and State Farm Arena favored the Atlanta Hawks.

The Atlanta team changed when the Queen of the South got here. Happy for her, happy to see them doing well… We got some false blame, like we had something to do with the scheduling.

CJ McCollum told reporters

The veteran guard reiterated that neither the players nor the organization had anything to do with State Farm Arena originally declining lease requests from the Atlanta Dream.

Good stuff from Hawks CJ McCollum today when asked about the Dream. @ATLNewsFirst "Atlanta changed when the queen of the south got here." https://t.co/KmZLfmGPtd

— Kinsey Lee (@kinseyleetv) October 15, 2026

Rather, he too prefers that the women’s game receive its due recognition. He enjoys the games on television, and also takes his daughter to Dream games whenever he can.

This proves the NBA needed to change its stance. Thankfully for the WNBA, they did, and now Angel Reese and her Dream can enjoy the support of the 17,000-plus fans that are expected to attend.

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