Angel Reese misses FIBA World Cup Best Defensive Player award after USA beat France 97-79

FIBA settled the Best Defensive Player debate after the gold-medal game, and the official call did not go to the player most fans had backed. France forward Gabby Williams took the award on Sunday in Berlin. Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese, who had led the unofficial fan poll and spoken as if the prize was hers to lose, finished the night as a world champion without the individual honour.

The United States still left Germany with the only title that matters on the board. Team USA beat France 97-79 for a fifth straight Women’s World Cup crown and a 12th overall. Reese played nine minutes in the final. Williams played 32, scored 20 and was named to the All-Star Five as well.

Angel Reese made her case in short bursts

Angel Reese appeared in all six games and averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a team-high 0.8 blocks in 15 minutes. She shot 59.1 percent from the field. Her peak came against Czechia in group play, when she posted 13 points, six rebounds and three steals in a 105-64 win. In the quarterfinal rout of Hungary, she added nine points, six boards, three assists and two steals.

“Honestly, the mindset I bring every game is to be able to come out there, get the punches, get rebounds, get blocks, get steals. I know I’m getting Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, and I’m just gonna continue to prove it,” Reese said.

Minutes tightened once the bracket got serious. She played 12 minutes against Spain in the semifinal and nine in the final, finishing with three points, three rebounds, one steal and one block.

How the final turned

France led by 14 in the first half and still held a 45-43 edge at the break. The Americans answered with a 30-12 third quarter and never gave the lead back. Breanna Stewart had 22 points and 10 rebounds and was named tournament MVP for a second time. Jackie Young scored 18. Caitlin Clark added 12 off the bench. Dominique Malonga led France with 21.

“We dug ourself a hole, but we climbed out of it, and I felt like we were never rattled by anything,” Clark said. Stewart’s verdict was shorter: “We are the standard.”

Why the panel went with Gabby Williams

Gabby Williams averaged 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.8 steals. FIBA cited her ball pressure, her assignment against the other team’s best scorer and a defensive award she had already won at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She was the engine of a French side that reached its first World Cup final.

“Of course we’re disappointed right now, but I think we’re showing little by little, France is a basketball country,” Williams said. “That was my goal, when I joined this team, was to change the culture. Obviously we have higher expectations, but we’ll get there.”

The contrast was volume versus flashes. Williams logged the minutes and the steal lead. Reese owned the highlight steals, the blocks and the fan vote, which had her above 50 percent and, at points, well beyond that. FIBA had already said those polls were for supporters only. The panel decided the award. Reese still leaves Berlin with gold on her first senior World Cup.