Angel Reese, A'ja Wilson headline WNBA All-Defensive first team

In her first season with the Atlanta Dream, Angel Reese took a significant leap forward. The 24-year-old showed out on the defensive side, winning her first Defensive Player of the Year award.

So it should come as no surprise that Reese was also named to the WNBA All-Defensive first team. Reese, alongside Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson, were among the biggest names to make the first team, the league announced Thursday.

Reese was joined by her teammate Rhyne Howard on the squad. Shakira Austin of the Washington Mystics and Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries were the other team players to receive first team honors.

The Dream were also represented on the second team, where Jordin Canada landed. Two members of the Valkyries, Veronica Burton and Kiah Stokes, made it as well, with Mystics guard Sonia Citron and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart rounding out the list.

Other than Reese, the only other player on either team to win the Defensive Player of the Year award in their career is Wilson, who's taken home that award three times. For Wilson, Thursday's selection marks the sixth time she's made the WNBA All-Defensive team and the fifth time she's been selected to the first team.

For Reese, it marks the first time in her career she's been picked to be on the WNBA All-Defensive team.

After making the first team last season, Williams went back-to-back with that honor in 2026. She also has a second-team selection from 2022. Howard's selection marks the first time she made the first team. She was a second-team selection last season. For Austin, it marks the first time in her career she's been selected for the WNBA All-Defensive team.

On the second team, Burton, Canada, Stewart and Stokes all have previous WNBA All-Defensive selections. Citron is a new addition to the WNBA All-Defensive team. After falling short of the honor during her rookie season, Citron made the second team in Year 2.