Angel Reese reacts to NBA star’s comments about her

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Angel Reese reacts to NBA star’s comments about her

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Oct 17, 2026 7:02 PM ET

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese has received a lot of praise from fans and her fellow athletes this season. One of them is from Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum, and she reacted to it on Friday.

Reese has led the Dream to the WNBA Finals after sweeping the first two rounds of the playoffs. They defeated the Washington Mystics in the opening round and the New York Liberty in the semifinals. The 24-year-old broke several WNBA records and also earned her first Defensive Player of the Year award.

She landed with the Dream in April via a trade from the Chicago Sky. The front office gave up first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028, but the decision has already paid dividends. Reese and Co. will face the No. 2-seeded Golden State Valkyries in the finals.

Angel Reese likes CJ McCollum’s nickname for her

McCollum called Reese the “Queen of the South” for how she has led the Dream to success this year. The three-time WNBA All-Star reacted to it and expressed appreciation for the NBA star.

“I heard that,” Reese said. “Shout out to CJ McCollum. I appreciate the love and support and I appreciate the support from the Hawks. It is really cool when your men’s team shows love to us and shows a lot of support to us. I guess he’s saying it because I played at LSU too and now I’m here in Georgia in Atlanta. So I appreciate the name. I guess that’s my new nickname. Hey, we needed one, right?”

I asked Angel Reese about her new “Queen of the South” nickname from Hawks star CJ McCollum.

“It is really cool when you men’s team shows love to you … I guess that’s my new nickname – Queen of the South.” https://t.co/vXnnZQgGFF

— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) October 16, 2026

Game 1 of the finals will be played on Saturday at Chase Center. Reese and the Atlanta will have their hands full against Gabby Williams, Cecilia Zandalasini and Janelle Salaun. However, the Valkyries will also have to deal with Reese and her team’s firepower. The two franchises are aiming to win their first championship, but it won’t be easy as both rosters are stacked.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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