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Atlanta Dream Players Erupt Over Exciting News Before Indiana Fever Playoff Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 8:57 PM ET

The preparations are in full swing for the Atlanta Dream ahead of their WNBA playoffs showdown against the Indiana Fever. Game 1 is on Sunday at Gateway Center Arena, and the Dream will be looking to kick off their postseason run with a win.

On Saturday, the Dream took to Instagram to share a video of an endearing moment during Friday’s practice session. In it, Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko is seen speaking in front of his squad to announce some big news.

The Associated Press gave out its end-of-season awards on Friday, and two players from the Dream were recognized for their outstanding performances in 2025. The entire squad erupted as Smesko announced Naz Hillmon as the AP Sixth Woman of the Year and Allisha Gray as part of the AP All-WNBA First Team.

Hillmon took this honor behind averages of 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assist and 1.2 triples in 25.5 minutes, making her a valuable weapon for Atlanta’s second unit. Gray, on the other hand, was one of the best players in the entire league this season, putting up across-the-board career high numbers of 18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 triples per game.

The players also congratulated Rhyne Howard, who was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the games played from Sept. 1 to 11.

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This exciting bit of news is a great morale booster for Atlanta ahead of their Game 1 clash on Sunday. They will, however, need to contend with Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, who also joined Gray in the AP’s All-WNBA first team.

With Caitlin Clark and five other players sidelined for Sunday’s clash, there’s no denying that it’s the Dream who have a significant advantage entering this matchup. However, this is the playoffs, and anything can happen, which is why Atlanta cannot afford to take anything for granted.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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