Angel Reese headlines WNBA Finals as league tests audience without Clark

Angel Reese’s Atlanta Dream face the Golden State Valkyries in a best-of-seven WNBA Finals series beginning Oct. 17, a matchup that tests the league's drawing power without Caitlin Clark. The series pairs a franchise seeking its first championship against an expansion team chasing a title in its second season.

Reese brings a substantial off-court following to her first Finals appearance. Her Instagram account had approximately 5.3 million followers as of Oct. 10, the most of any WNBA player and more than one million more than Clark’s. Her visibility extends beyond basketball through a signature Reebok shoe and becoming the first female athlete featured in a national McDonald’s meal collaboration in 2025. These partnerships have placed her name before consumers who may not regularly watch the WNBA.

The league has benchmarks for this series. Sports Media Watch reported that the Indiana Fever’s first-round loss to Las Vegas drew an average of 2.25 million viewers on USA Network and CNBC, while Atlanta’s opening semifinal game against New York pulled in 1.2 million viewers on ABC. Last year’s Las Vegas-Phoenix championship series averaged 1.5 million viewers across ABC and ESPN. This year’s games will air across NBC, USA Network and Peacock, adding variables to comparisons with previous championships.

Both teams bring distinctive cultural identities to the court. Atlanta’s players campaigned against their own Republican co-owner, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, supporting Democrat Raphael Warnock in 2020 after she opposed the league’s embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement. The following month, the league approved the Dream’s sale to an ownership group including Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery. Golden State has made LGBTQ outreach a visible part of its identity, featuring drag performances and Pride merchandise during its second annual Pride Game against Atlanta on June 26. The franchise also sponsors the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival and earned recognition from Equality California and the National Center for LGBTQ Rights.

The series closes a chapter for Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who announced in September that she will retire at the end of 2026. Her final season began with uncertainty over labor negotiations, but the eventual agreement delivered substantial raises for players and a seven-year deal running through 2032. A centralized replay center is scheduled to launch in 2027, and expansion will continue with Cleveland beginning play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.

On the court, Reese averaged 16.4 points and 12.1 rebounds during the regular season and won Defensive Player of the Year. Golden State’s Kiah Stokes will attempt to limit Reese’s second chances, having collected 14 rebounds in the semifinal opener while defending A’ja Wilson. Gabby Williams enters the Finals averaging about 23 points in the playoffs, up from roughly 14 during the regular season for Golden State. Atlanta relies on Jordin Canada, who scored 19 points and set up 11 baskets in the win that clinched the Dream’s Finals berth.

Golden State won all three regular-season meetings with Atlanta. The Dream now bring additional playoff experience through DeWanna Bonner, while Allisha Gray’s recovery from a hand injury remains a major consideration for Atlanta.