Angel Reese Declared Unrivaled's First Ever Defensive Player Of The Year

Angel Reese just keeps on winning.

After a standout several weeks of basketball during Unrivaled's inaugural season in Miami, Florida, Angel Reese has been declared the league's first-ever Defensive Player of the Year.

The Chicago Sky power forward was named Unrivaled's first-ever Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) after receiving the "most combined weighted votes from Unrivaled players and coaches, as well as a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters," a press release from Unrivaled, sent to The Blast, read.

Reese, who plays for the Rose BC with Unrivaled, led the league in rebounds, averaging 12.1 per game, and led her team in blocked shots. "Reese was the anchor all season for the best scoring defense in Unrivaled, allowing 65.2 points per game," the release stated.

The DPOY honor comes days after Reese was named Second Team All-Unrivaled. The LSU alum made the team with fellow WNBA stars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Rhyne Howard.

In addition to her impressive rebounding abilities on the court, Reese was also a "double-double machine," according to her teammate, Chelsea Gray. "She's somebody who has a knack for rebounding and just goes after it."

"It's really hard to do that consistently. It's a lot on your body. It's a mindset that you have to have, and it's one she's had this whole time," she continued.

On X, formerly Twitter, Reese fans have been buzzing since learning that the Chi-Town Barbie was awarded the league's DPOY award by her peers and coaches.

Someone wrote, "Congratulations, Angel! You deserve this, and I hope you have a successful career."

"Stay down, 5. The growth [will] always show!" another person commented.

A third fan agreed and encouraged the 22-year-old to "make them feel it in the WNBA for underestimating you."

Reese also addressed her monumental win on X with an emotional post in which she thanked "God" for getting her through life's most difficult moments. "Be where your feet are and allow yourself growth," she finished.

With Reese and other popular WNBA stars playing in the off-season league, Unrivaled has attracted major attention from star athletes and powerhouse brands alike.

Recently, Golden State Warriors star and NBA legend Stephen Curry revealed he was joining the league, which was founded by Breanna Stewart and Nephessa Collier, as an investor to help set a "new standard" for women athletes.

"I am incredibly proud to be joining the Unrivaled family as the league continues to set a new standard for how women’s professional sports should operate—empowering athletes and ensuring they have a real stake in their own success,” said Curry, according to a press release.

He continued, “Unrivaled is not just innovating the way we play basketball, but also how we value and invest in the athletes who drive the game forward.”

In addition to Curry, Unrivaled also secured partnerships with big-time brands, including Samsung Galaxy, Sephora, TNT Sports, Under Armour, Ally Financial, Miller Lite, Ticketmaster, BODYARMOR, and more.

In June 2024, Reese sparked controversy in the sports world after saying she believed she was a major part of the reason women's basketball was experiencing such a surge in popularity.

"I think so many people are watching women's basketball right now. It all started from the national championship game, and I've been dealing with this for two years now and understand that, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me," she said. "But honestly, I'll take that because look where women's basketball is."

Reese explained that she was OK with playing the "bad guy" if it would keep people interested in their game.

The "Unapologetically Angel" podcast host also mentioned the celebrities, including Latto, who have shown support to the league because of her performance during the 2023 NCAA Championship game.

"And just looking at that, I'll take that role. I'll take the bad guy role, and I'll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates, and I know I'll go down in history. I'll look back in 20 years and be like: 'Yeah, the reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of one person; it's because of me too, and I want you to realize that.' Like, it's just not cause of one person. A lot of us have done so much for this game," she finished.