Rhyne Howard #10 of the Atlanta Dream reacts with Angel Reese #5 of the Atlanta Dream after drawing a foul on a basket against the Connecticut Sun during the fourth quarter at Gateway Center Arena on June 02, 2026 in College Park, Georgia.Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images The Atlanta Dream have won 13 of 17 games. They are tied with arch nemesis Indiana atop the East in the chase for their second-straight Conference Championship and a chance to avenge their crushing first-round exit in last year’s WNBA playoffs at the hands of the hated Fever. But first, the team must hit pause on that hot pursuit while two Dream players find a way to work with their rivals—including Indiana’s Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark—to make history for Team USA at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup (Sept. 4-13). Atlanta stars Rhyne Howard and Angel Reese are now in Berlin, Germany. It’s the first time in history that two Atlanta players will rep the stars and stripes in international play at the same time. This year’s tournament will be the 20th edition of the quadrennial event since its inception in 1952. Team USA has won 11 of those, including the last four in a row. The Americans are heavily favored to make that five straight gold medals — but the real entertainment and intrigue might be in watching how these antagonists-turned-teammates coexist in the middle of a WNBA season rife with physical play and player feuds under the cloud of a larger off-court culture war. Three years into her professional career, Reese has often found herself in the middle of the controversy, especially when it comes to Clark, with whom she has been rivals since their college days. As recently as two weeks ago at State Farm Arena, the web was abuzz over video showing Clark laughing after Reese missed a potential game-winning layup to send the game to OT for an eventual Fever victory. That shortfall notwithstanding, Reese’s first season in Atlanta has been nothing short of a revelation. Already a two-time WNBA All-Star, she is averaging a double-double while also leading the league in rebounding. And Reese has posted a career-high 16.1 points per game. She averaged 6.8 points and 8 boards per game to help the U.S. go 5-0 in World Cup qualification. Meanwhile, Howard is in her fifth season with the Dream. The 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year and four-time All-Star is no stranger to Team USA. She has won three gold medals across U18, U19, and AmeriCup competition. She also has a bronze in 3×3 basketball from 2024 Olympics. Howard is one of the league’s premier two-guards, able to score and defend. Howard had her own viral run-in with Clark last year, when some rough half-court defense between the two guards flared up into some post-whistle bumping and jawing. Team USA is the odds-on favorite to claim gold, but they’ll be facing other national teams that feature WNBA talent — including two other Dream. Guard Isobel Borlase will join Team Australia, for whom she averaged 10.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists during the qualifying tournament. Atlanta forward Sika Kone was also a qualifying hero (11.4 points and 8.8 rebounds) for Mali. Still if Reese, Howard, Clark, and their teammates can rise above the turmoil for the next week or so, they stand a good chance at bringing home a trophy they can share. For a full schedule of Team USA’s games, visit fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-womens-basketball-world-cup-2026 The post Atlanta’s Dream duo must play with their fiercest rivals to earn Team USA gold appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less