Angel Reese becomes fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 rebounds

WASHINGTON — Angel Reese added another milestone to her young WNBA career Saturday, becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 1,000 career rebounds.

The Atlanta Dream forward reached the mark during Atlanta's 113-96 victory over the Indiana Fever. Reese accomplished the feat in just 79 career games, breaking the previous record of 89 games set by former WNBA star Tina Charles.

Credit: Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press Credit: Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese reacts after scoring against the Toronto Tempo during the second half of a WNBA basketball game.

Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese reacts after scoring against the Toronto Tempo during the second half of a WNBA basketball game.

Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese reacts after scoring against the Toronto Tempo during the second half of a WNBA basketball game.

Reese secured her 1,000th rebound with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter and finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds as Atlanta earned its third straight victory.

"I think people don't realize rebounding is harder than you think," Reese said after the game. "Defensive rebounds are a little bit easier than going in and crashing every single time to give a second-chance opportunity on the offensive end."

The 6-foot-4 forward leads the WNBA with 11.9 rebounds per game this season.

Reese has occasionally faced criticism from some fans who note that a portion of her rebounds come from her own missed shots. She pushed back on that narrative following Saturday's milestone performance.

"You can look statistically—not just for my shots but for my teammates'. It gives us more points, it gives us more opportunities," Reese said. "Just being able to go out and do what I do every single night just shows my consistency."

Reese, who joined Atlanta this season, said she is taking time to appreciate the accomplishment while continuing to pursue larger goals.

"A lot of the time I'm really hard on myself, what I want to be and how great I want to be," Reese said. "But I'm just taking my time and knowing that I've done some great things. I'm just patting myself on the back and knowing that I want more."

Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 24 points, while Allisha Gray added 22. Caitlin Clark scored a team-high 26 points for Indiana in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,044 at State Farm Arena.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.