The WNBA world was hit with one of its biggest shockwaves this Monday following the news of Angel Reese‘s trade from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream. She is one of the league’s biggest stars, carrying an immediate impact both on the court and commercially.
You only need to look at the star’s social media following to understand what Atlanta is getting – or at the ticket prices that are already surging before the season even starts.
Immediate Impact on Ticket Sales
The Dream’s home opener will be on Sunday, May 17, against the Las Vegas Aces – a game that saw an immediate spike in fan interest after it was announced that Angel Reese would be playing in Atlanta.
According to data provided by SeatGeek, more tickets were sold in the first two hours following the announcement of the trade than in all the time leading up to it. Prices also reacted quickly, with the get-in price jumping from $43 to $100 in less than a day.
This demand is already rivaling other marquee matchups at the start of the season. For instance, the Indiana Fever (led by Caitlin Clark) home opener on May 9 against the Dallas Wings currently has a minimum price of $102.
This reflects Reese’s star power; she is a central figure in women’s basketball who generates massive expectations, and her reach is evident in her Instagram followers, where she leads the entire WNBA.
Reese has 5.2 million followers on her account, surpassing Caitlin Clark by 1.6 million. Further back is Paige Bueckers, trailing by two million.https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/wnba/chicago-sky/2026/04/06/69d3edb346163f64028b45b1.html
Angel Reese arrived in the WNBA as one of the most highly publicized prospects of her generation and lived up to the hype from day one. She was selected by the Chicago Sky with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, following an outstanding college career with LSU Tigers women’s basketball.
At LSU, Reese was a key piece in winning the 2023 NCAA national championship – the first in the program’s history – after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 in the final. Her impact was undeniable, earning Most Outstanding Player honors.
In the WNBA, her performance has been just as dominant: over her first two seasons, she has averaged 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, earning WNBA All-Star selections in 2024 and 2025. Furthermore, she delivered a historic rookie season, setting league records for rebounds per game (13.1), total rebounds (446), and offensive rebounds (172).
With that level of impact, it’s no surprise that her trade has shaken the league: Chicago sent Reese to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, in addition to granting Atlanta second-round pick swap rights in 2028.
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