Sabrina Ionescu faces a fine after Flagrant 1 foul
Angel Reese left Atlanta’s regular-season finale after taking a hit to the face from Sabrina Ionescu, whose foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
Reese returned briefly to make two free throws but did not play in the second half. Atlanta defeated New York 83-65 and entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed.
The fine applies to Ionescu
The automatic fine connected to the play applies to Sabrina Ionescu, not Angel Reese. Under the 2026 WNBA penalty structure, a Flagrant 1 carries a $500 fine and one flagrant point.
Ionescu’s contact was reviewed during the game and classified as Flagrant 1. Reese was the player who was hit and left the game, while Ionescu received the disciplinary consequence tied to the foul.
Why the foul was reviewed
The 2026 WNBA rule book classifies unnecessary contact as a Flagrant 1 foul. The rules provide for instant-replay review of flagrant-foul rulings, allowing officials to determine whether the contact should be classified as a Flagrant 1 or Flagrant 2.
Officials reviewed the contact involving Sabrina Ionescu and Angel Reese before the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. The classification resulted in the applicable flagrant-foul penalty and disciplinary point under the 2026 system.
Reese made her free throws
After the foul was upgraded, Reese returned from the locker room and took the two awarded free throws. She made both attempts before going back to the locker room with the game nearing halftime.
Atlanta entered halftime ahead 41-26, with Reese recording six points and six rebounds in 17 minutes. She did not return to game action after halftime, although she later returned to the bench with 6:19 remaining in the third quarter.
Atlanta chose not to bring Reese back
Atlanta coach Karl Smesko said Reese had been cleared to return, but the team decided it was smarter for her to sit out the second half after the hit to her face.
Reese finished with six points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 17 minutes. The Dream maintained their lead without her and completed the regular season with an 83-65 victory over New York.
The Dream secured the No. 4 seed
Atlanta’s victory over New York clinched the Dream’s place as the No. 4 seed in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. The team finished the regular season with a 31-13 record and earned home-court advantage in the opening round.
New York finished eighth at 26-18 and entered the postseason on the road. The Liberty’s finale had playoff implications for both teams, even as Atlanta managed Reese’s early exit.
Reese’s regular season ended with strong numbers
Reese finished the 2026 regular season averaging 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Her WNBA profile lists her as a 6-foot-4 forward selected seventh overall by Chicago in the 2024 draft.
Her final regular-season appearance lasted 17 minutes against New York. Before leaving, she added three assists and three steals, giving Atlanta production across several statistical categories despite the shortened outing.
The incident was not a technical foul
The foul involving Reese and Ionescu was classified as a Flagrant 1 rather than a technical foul. Those categories carry different rules, and the 2026 WNBA system assigns separate disciplinary consequences.
Technical fouls can produce escalating fines and suspensions based on a player’s season total. Flagrant fouls use a point system, with a Flagrant 1 counting as one point and a Flagrant 2 as two.
Interesting fact: Reese became the first player in WNBA history to record 500 rebounds in a single regular season.
Flagrant penalties changed in 2026
The WNBA increased its flagrant-foul fines for the 2026 season under the new collective bargaining agreement. A Flagrant 1 carries a $500 fine, while a Flagrant 2 carries a $1,000 fine under the updated structure.
The league also tracks flagrant points across the season. A player can face suspension after reaching specified point thresholds, making each flagrant classification relevant beyond the individual game.
The play came before the playoffs
The Atlanta-New York game closed the WNBA regular season on September 23, four days before the playoffs began on September 27. Atlanta entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed, while New York entered as the No. 8 seed.
The timing placed Reese’s early exit immediately before the postseason. Atlanta opened its first-round series against the Washington Mystics on September 27 at State Farm Arena and won Game 1, 92-77.
Atlanta faces Washington in round one
The Dream’s first-round opponent is the Washington Mystics, who finished fifth in the regular-season standings. The series uses a best-of-three format, with Atlanta holding home-court advantage because it earned the higher seed.
Atlanta won Game 1, 92-77, on September 27 at State Farm Arena. Game 2 is scheduled for September 30 in Washington, with a deciding Game 3, if necessary, scheduled for October 2 in Atlanta.
New York starts against Minnesota
The Liberty entered the postseason as the No. 8 seed after finishing 26-18. Their first-round opponent was the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, who finished the regular season 33-11 with the league’s best record.
New York and Minnesota began their best-of-three series on September 27. The Liberty defeated Minnesota 91-75 in Game 1, moving ahead 1-0 in the series after entering the playoffs directly from their loss to Atlanta.
The internet is also talking about LeBron James landing in an unexpected position on ESPN’s 2026 NBA player rankings.
The fine and injury are separate issues
The WNBA fine stemming from the play is assigned to Ionescu because of the Flagrant 1 ruling. Reese’s early departure was a separate game-status decision after she was struck in the face.
Atlanta said Reese was cleared to return but chose to keep her out for the second half. Reese subsequently returned for Atlanta’s playoff opener against Washington, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Dream’s 92-77 Game 1 victory.
In other news, Sophie Cunningham wants a new nickname inspired by Patrick Mahomes.
What do you think about the incident and the league’s fine rules? Like this post and comment with your thoughts.
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
Read More From This Brand:
