WNBA legend Candace Parker apologised to Angel Reese for ranking her as a C-tier player in 2025 after the Atlanta Dream made the 2026 WNBA Finals.
Parker is one of the greatest players the W has ever seen, so her opinions on the current state of the game are widely discussed. She found herself in hot water in June 2025 when she tier-ranked a few WNBA stars and ranked Reese in the C-tier.
One and a half years later, Reese has proven her worth as one of the best defensive players in the WNBA alongside being the best rebounder, prompting Parker to address her outdated ranking of Reese.
Candace Parker apologises to Angel Reese for C-tier ranking
On the latest episode of the Post Moves show with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston, Parker apologised to Reese for her previously harsh ranking while explaining why she ranked her so low.
“A lot of times, people are coming at me at the tier ranking. When I filmed this, she had only been in the league for one year, and they wanted me to compare her to players like Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson. The tremendous growth she’s made, and her impact, I am sure a lot of teams in the WNBA Draft wish they could go back and redraft her.”
“Come at me for my opinions; I was wrong. She is in the Finals; She is defensive player of the year. There’s no hate. I am just giving my opinion, so congratulations to Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream.”
This is a completely rational take by Parker. The sample size on which Parker judged Reese was her rookie season, where she was offensively inefficient, not as productive defensively, and relied solely on her rebounding to be an impactful presence.
Naturally, a young player like Reese has shown high-level development in the year-and-a-half since and established herself as a top-tier player with her DPOY win and run to the WNBA Finals.
Who all did Candace Parker rank ahead of Angel Reese in 2025?
Even though Parker is citing Reese’s unproven nature in 2026 as the reason she ranked her so low, her actual tier ranking does have some controversial calls.
“S tier: A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart. A tier: Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu. B tier: Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers C tier: Angel Reese and Cameron Brink.”
While these are some of the best players in the WNBA, ranking Paige Bueckers above Reese before playing a single WNBA minute shows she definitely rated Reese as a lower overall prospect as well.
Some of the other names above Reese might still be justified, as Reese’s Finals run is also dependent on the strong supporting cast she has around her. However, her individual accolades and career progression should not be surprising since she was always a highly-touted prospect.
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