Angel Reese fans criticized the Golden State Valkyries‘ official account on Friday after a promotional graphic ranked Veronica Burton first in the league in Defensive Win Shares because Reese leads the WNBA in Defensive Win Shares (DWS) with 3.05, per Basketball-Reference.
Golden State shared the graphic right after beating the Portland Fire 82-66 to reach a 30-11 record. In that game, Burton scored 4 points and recorded a game-high 6 steals in 26 minutes.
In the post, they nominated Burton, Gabby Williams, and Kiah Stokes for the WNBA All-Defensive Team. That graphic also highlighted Williams’ 25 defensive net points and Stokes’ 96.5 defensive rating. It also listed Burton with a “.202 Defensive Win Shares” mark, labeled as first in the league.
Many on X then didn’t waste time accusing Golden State of using incorrect data to boost Burton’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign.
“Lying in your post as official account is sad,” one user wrote.
More reactions followed.
Golden State’s official graphic concluded by citing Sports Illustrated’s Dan Falkenheim, who wrote, “Simply put: Burton is one of the three wardens of Valkatraz, alongside Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes.”
Angel Reese sets the tone for Dream after World Cup gold
Returning from the World Cup break against the Connecticut Sun, Angel Reese hit 30 points after making a free throw with 5:38 left. Moments later, she grabbed her 10th rebound to secure her WNBA-record 30th double-double of the season. The win improved the Atlanta Dream to 27-14.
Beyond breaking records, Reese wanted to show everyone what she and her team could do in the playoffs. She said,
“I was ready to get back. Being back home, being with Atlanta, being with my team. I gotta leave a taste in everybody mouth about what the playoffs are gonna look like, so it was only right for me to come out and set the tone.”
Angel Reese added that she had to leave a taste in everyone’s mouth about what the playoffs would look like, so it was only right for her to come out and set the tone.
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Edited by Sami Haider
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