Angel Reese and Courtney Williams got into a heated verbal exchange during the second quarter of the Atlanta Dream's 89-81 upset win over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.

The confrontation happened at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, with just under six minutes left in the first half.

Atlanta was leading 37-32 when Reese drove toward the basket and ran into a double-team from Williams and Natasha Howard.

Williams got her arms around the ball and tried to rip it away, and the two ended up tied up in a physical tie-up before the whistle blew.

Reese immediately turned to the official, looking for a foul call. Instead, the referees ruled the play a jump ball.

That non-call is what set Reese off. She turned towards Williams, and the two started chirping at each other, with neither one backing down, as shown in a video shared by Bleacher Report on Instagram.

Cameras stayed on the two the entire time, and several social media users who tried to read Reese's lips believed she said 'bald head.' Another group of viewers thought the words looked more like 'punk a--.'

The exact words were not confirmed by either player.

Napheesa Collier and the officials quickly stepped between the two players before the exchange could go any further.

Sunday's clash with Williams was far from the only time Reese has been at the center of an on-court flare-up in 2026.

During a matchup in June against the Toronto Tempo, Reese was battling former Chicago Sky teammate Isabelle Harrison in the paint when Harrison reached over and took her to the floor. The officials reviewed the play and upgraded Harrison's foul to a Flagrant 2, which led to her ejection.

Reese and Alyssa Thomas have one of the WNBA's spicier rivalries, dating back to a 2024 incident when Thomas was ejected for throwing rookie Reese to the floor by the neck.

In May 2026, the roles were flipped when Reese was hit with a Flagrant 1 after taking Mercury forward Kyara Linskens down during a rebound.

When the officials discussed the call, cameras caught Reese turning to Thomas and reportedly saying, "I learned that from you." Thomas was seen laughing at the comment.

Reese made WNBA history against the Lynx on Sunday

Despite the second-quarter incident, Reese got the last laugh as the Dream secured a victory over the league-leading Lynx.

Reese finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds, officially recording her 29th double-double of the year

With that, she broke the WNBA's single-season record for double-doubles. Alyssa Thomas had previously held the mark with 28 in 2023.

Meanwhile, Williams, returning to the Lynx lineup from a foot injury, posted 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting and 4 assists.

Rookie Olivia Miles led Minnesota with 21, and Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier each added 17 in the loss.

The loss snapped an eight-game road win streak for the Lynx (31-9), who still hold a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place Golden State heading into the FIBA World Cup break.

Written by

Md Saife Fida