About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2026 WNBA Finals are in full swing, with Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream holding a 2-1 lead over the Golden State Valkyries entering the weekend. Reese has been on fire, but some media outlets have other stories on their mind.
While Reese is on a historic run in the Finals, there are certain media accounts that are focusing on stories like the Enes Kanter Freedom side show or players "walking out" on the national anthem , there is at least one media member who is calling out all the nonsense.
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Enter FOX Sports 1's Nick Wright , who recently sounded off on First Things First .
Oct 21, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) arrives at State Farm Arena before game three of the 2026 WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Wright did not hold back, and made it clear that he has interest in covering the WNBA at its best and highlighting the players who are actually performing on the court and not at home on the golf course.
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"Sports media needs to decide whether it wants to cover the WNBA or not," Wright said during this week's show after the Dream went up 2-1. "Here's what I mean. This show, we are a vast majority an NFL and NBA show. Baseball playoffs, a little college football here and there. But what we don't do is be like, 'Oh! Did a Black player foul Caitlin Clark hard? Let's put that in the show! Enes Kanter making a fool of himself again? Let's lead with it!'
"Some shows are doing that, that's fine. If you are one of those shows, then maybe pay attention to the actual basketball that's going on in the Finals right now because it's pretty good."
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Wright then specifically turned his attention to Angel Reese, who has been on a tear and leading the Dream since the semifinals. She is undeniably the odds-on favorite to win WNBA Finals MVP if Atlanta wins the title, so everyone is going to need to find new talking points.
"In men's basketball, no matter what your regular-season standing is, if you're one of the best players but clearly not the best player, and then in the playoffs, you're clearly the best player and you lead your team to a championship, it raises your standing dramatically. There was a period of time where it felt to me like Angel's celebrity had outpaced her on-court production, where her basketball had stagnated a bit during her second year," Wright added. "That is flatly no longer the case.
"If you're gonna cover the sport for the gory, kind of culture war stuff, then actually cover the sport when someone who's been a main character of your culture war stuff is playing great basketball. I think Angel deserves a ton of credit."
Jul 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Team Coop forward Angel Reese (5) poses for arrivals during the 2026 WNBA All Star Game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Certain athletes need to get their clicks, so don't expect them to change their tune anytime soon. After all, those audiences love to live in the past and talk about non-existent issues like the national anthem "controversy" and transgender athletes in the W, proving they don't actually care about the game.
But for everyone who does, you're in luck, because the WNBA Finals have been delivering.
Angel Reese and the Dream return to action against the Valkyries on Saturday, October 24, at State Farm Arena. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on NBC, with the Dream entering the game as solid 4.5-point favorites.
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Source: Sports
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