Angel Reese receives prestigious Unrivaled award after stellar season

Angel Reese’s Unrivaled season has been halted due to a wrist injury she suffered last week — but the Chicago Sky starn nonetheless leaves with lots of hardware. On Saturday, the league announced that fans, media, players, and coaches voted her the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, an announced that came just a couple of days after her All-Unrivaled Second Team selection was shared.

During the inaugural Unrivaled season, Reese led Unrivaled in rebounds, grabbing 12.2 boards per game, and led the Rose club in blocked shots, with 0.6 blocks per game. Reese was the anchor all season for the Rose’s defense, which allowed just 65.2 points per game — the fewest in the league.

SB Nation’s Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year ballot had Napheesa Collier at No. 1, Breanna Stewart at No. 2, and Reese at No. 3. Collier and Brittney Griner led the league in blocks, each averaging 1.4 a night, while Collier led the league in steals, averaging two a game.

Reese’s greatest strength as a defender during the Unrivaled season proved to be her versatility; while other bigs struggled to contain guards alongside the perimeter, Reese proved able to switch onto nearly everyone and flourished in Unrivaled’s fast-paced game, on both ends.

Reese turned to social media to express her gratitude for the win, writing: “God, thank you for getting me through the highs & lows! Be where your feet are & allow yourself growth!”

Reese will miss the Rose club’s postseason game on Sunday night against the Laces, after suffering a hand injury that kept her out of the second half of the final game of the regular season. Still, she had a strong first year in Unrivaled, averaging 13.1 points per game. She was the league’s leading rebounder and offensive rebounder, finished second in double-doubles, and recorded the first 20-20 game in Unrivaled history.

Before the season, Rose Club head coach Nola Henry said that she expected Reese to dominate the glass as she has her whole career.

“For Angel, it doesn’t matter, 3-on-3, 5-on-5, college, WNBA — she’s an incredible rebounder, right?” Henry said. “I expect to see rebounding from her... that’s just what she’s done her entire career.”

While no details about her injury have been announced, her absence on Sunday will serve as a massive blow for a Rose Club that won 6 of its final 8 regular season games en route to the league’s second-best record. She hasn’t been officially ruled out of a potential championship game on Monday, but it seems unlikely she’ll be available for such a match-up at this point.