Angel Reese continues to lead the way but a tie between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries creates an intriguing logjam in the race for WNBA Finals MVP.
The 2026 WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have been divine in more ways than one.
From a basketball perspective, those craving the most from the landmark 30th season’s last drop have been well-fed: there’s a real possibility that the recently-introduced best-of-seven format can live up to its advertised purpose with the series knotted at two games apiece.
The defining storyline of the series continues to be the ongoing postseason breakout of newly-acquired Georgian Angel Reese but a variety of heroines have ridden in from Ballhalla to create an evenly-matched series that’s essentially compacted into three games, starting with Monday’s return to Chase Center (8 p.m. ET, USA/CNBC/Peacock).
That makes picking an MVP at the de facto intermission somewhat more difficult to identify, but BIL attempts to clear the air with its second edition of ranking the search …
1. Angel Reese, Atlanta
After Game 2: 1st
Reese finally looked human in the postseason over the weekend, held in check to the tune of eight points and nine rebounds in Game 4. Her work beforehand, however, shouldn’t be discounted as it pushed forth the narrative of two one-sided victories.
Angel Reese from deep
She’s 3 wins away from being a WNBA champion https://t.co/fkkGHAG0jw
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) October 20, 2026
She’s the first to be shooting at least 56% from the field in a three-game Finals span with at least 39 field goal attempts since New York’s Jonquel Jones in 2023 and one of seven all-time to pull that off, joining an exclusive sisterhood that also includes Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, and Seimon Augustus, who did so twice. She’s also the outright leader in points (18.3) and rebounds (12.3) and would be just the third to post such an 18-12 averages in the Finals next to Lisa Leslie and A’ja Wilson.
Even with her Game 4 dud, a combination of Reese’s breakout and dominance, as well as Golden State’s de facto heroine-by-committee approach, might be just enough to wonder if she can win the award whether the Dream wins or loses. It’s probably not going to happen—if Thomas couldn’t steal it from Emma Meeseman and the Washington Mystics in 2019, it’s likely never in the cards—but the fact that it’s even a conversation, not matter how remote the possibility, speaks volumes about what she’s accomplished.
2. Rhyne Howard, Atlanta
After Game 2: Also Considered
Howard’s defensive impact on the series was already well-known … and maybe a little too apparent considering her early foul trouble forced Karl Smesko to balance her minutes in the first two games.
Angel Reese 3. Angel Reese steal. Rhyne Howard 3. WHAT A SEQUENCE FOR THE DREAM AND THE SOLD OUT CROWD IS LOVING IT! https://t.co/rDRyVB1Bsg
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 22, 2026
Cleaner, if not far more deadly, defense helped Howard make a jump in our rankings: she joined Reese among the history-makers in Game 3, becoming the first player to put up at least five steals in consecutive WNBA Finals games. Howard was credited with 11 official takeaways in the middle two games and no prior participant reached double figures in the category in combined consecutive contests.
Howard is also doing what she can to help atone for the offensive shortcomings in this series, putting up 35 points over the last two games. Sure, that’s in spite of a 32.6% success rate on the floor but Howard leads all second half scorers with 34 points in the eight such periods played so far. Howard has refused to let intensity cease on either end of the ball, flipping her foul script to go to the line a series-best 18 times in the second half. In other words, she’s not scoring much by conventional standards but is scoring when the Dream needs her to, particularly when it comes to finishing touches.
3. Kiah Stokes. Golden State
After Game 2: 6th
Yes, Stokes’ relatively miniscule scoring total (her best outing being nine tallies in Game 1) makes her run to the MVP title far steeper than that of her contemporaries. But when Stokes is beating a boosted Reese at her own game, or at least keeping certain metrics close, she has to at least be considered for the honor at this point.
KIAH STOKES DENIES ANGEL REESE AGAIN
Stokes meets Reese at the rim for her second rejection tonight!
#WNBAonUSA
| Dream
| Valkyries
https://t.co/VtDlvMMUSY
— USA Sports (@usasports) October 20, 2026
It’s Stokes, not Reese, that leads all participants in offensive boards (including an 8-7 edge in fourth quarters). Stokes, not Reese, leads all major participants in rebounding percentage (17.4). Stokes, not the Defensive Player of the Year Reese has already set the record for most blocks in a series (14, passing the dozen-rejection mark Brittney Griner and Sylvia Fowles respectively earned in 2014 and 2017).
That’s not meant to be a knock on Reese, who has hardly had any trouble setting her own brands of personal and league-wide history over the Finals and this tournament as a whole. But if anyone did the work that Stokes has accomplished against Reese at any point before the Finals, it’s possible the Dream is already gone. Too often, MVP has been reduced to being a party favor for the top scorer or franchise face. Stokes’ dirty work is quietly yet emphatically defining the famed V in MVP.
4. Gabby Williams, Golden State
After Game 2: 2nd
Sometimes, it’s indeed about how you start. Williams has lacked her usual brand of shooting touch in this series … but, then again, who hasn’t? The fact of the matter is that the series would not be where it’s at without the efforts of Williams, whose bookending heroics in Game 1 loom large as the series heads back west.
Williams’ status as de facto Golden State franchise face, as well as her status as perhaps the purest definition of a two-way player, bodes well for her MVP chances should the Valkyries pull this off. Her case, like Howard and Stokes ahead of her, has a shady, if not effective, foundation through the work that others have been blinded to through finesse. Tied for the series lead in three pointers with Cecilia Zandalasini, Williams is also a strong 19-of-21 at the foul line, nearly double that of her closest competitor.
5. Tiffany Hayes, Golden State
After Game 2: Also Considered
Who says you can’t go home? Hayes is certainly unfamiliar with the concept after her in-Finals promotion, leaping into the starting five alongside Kaila Charles after a pair of sizable defeats in Games 2 and 3. While the near-franchise-best marks she set in two Georgia terms (2012-19, 2021-22) will likely be surpassed by this current crop of Dreamers, the 37-year-old gave her former adoring public something to remember her by in the series equalizer.
Hayes vindicated Natalie Nakase‘s improvisation en route to a series tie: already on the floor for the Valkyries’ Game 1 clinch, Hayes provided an early spark before locking down a lasting lead in the latter 20 minutes. Hayes scored each of her 13 points in the second half, including seven in a fourth quarter that never saw her former employers get close than two possessions despite a late surge. All of that and more’s not too bad for a player that was technically retired less than 36 months ago.
6. Jordin Canada, Atlanta
After Game 2: 3rd
Canada’s three-spot drop from our prior rankings feels a little harsh, but just know it speaks more to the impact that the risers Howard, Stokes, and Hayes have staged rather than any indictment on the previous champion’s play.
Though still fruitless from three, Canada improved her shooting over the latter two games of the series (7-of-18 compared to 6-of-23 over the debut two). In fulfilling the darker definition of MVP, the Canada closeout by Golden State might’ve been just as vital as the Reese resistance: the pass master Canada, the leader in series assists by a massive margin (29 to the 14 of the runner-up Williams) was held to just four helpers in Game 4, marking just the second time she’s been held to a quartet or fewer this postseason.
Also Considered
—Isobel Borlase, Atlanta: Borlase continues to fund a fledgling campaign for next year’s top sixth woman vote, as the rookie-in-name-only (RINO) continues to provide sustained bursts in relief, including a 12-point, five-rebound, plus-21 output in Game 3.
—Kaila Charles, Golden State: Charles has struggled to keep statistical appearances after emerging as a Game 1 heroine but her entry into the starting five next to Hayes served as an undeniable spark in the Valkyries’ equalizer.
—Allisha Gray, Atlanta: If Gray had anything to prove about her value after the way Atlanta conducted itself without her in the semifinals, a series-best net rating (15.1) among starters and the best plus/minus overall (plus-34) should silence such interrogators, even if her finger injury is wreaking havoc with her usual brand of sharpshooting.
—Naz Hillmon, Atlanta: Hillmon continues to keep pace on the advanced ledgers (second behind Gray in starters’ net rating and tied with her in the lead for plus/minus) but the Dream need her to succeed in the more traditional departments: the team hovers around .500 when she’s more muted from the floor (i.e. a two-attempt performance in Game 4) but is 23-7 when she shoots at least four from the field, including 4-0 this postseason.
—Cecilia Zandalasini, Golden State: Zandalasini was forced to come off the bench for the first time since May after breaking a premium on outside scoring (four threes in Game 3) but her later entry, which yielded 10 points and a plus-20 on the scoreboard, allowed the Valkyries to pose as a deeper, more tenured threat.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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