On October 17, Angel Reese will be heading to her first WNBA Finals with “Mamba Mentality.”

On June 7, 2009, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers secured a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic. Kobe scored a team-high 29 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. While it was certainly a position to cherish considering the stakes and the occasion, Kobe’s stern expression during the postgame press conference did not quite reflect that moment. When asked by a reporter whether he was unhappy about gaining this advantage in the NBA Finals, Kobe’s reply was the epitome of his famous “Mamba Mentality.”

“What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished. Job’s finished? I don’t think so.” The Lakers legend told the reporter.

And 17 years later, the beloved Kobe Bryant is still influencing players’ minds, with Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese the latest example. In her debut season with the Dream, the Defensive Player of the Year led head coach Karl Smesko’s side to their first WNBA Finals since 2013 after sweeping a highly experienced New York Liberty side 3-0 in the semifinals.

While Reese expressed her happiness at reaching such a monumental stage in only her third year as a pro, the 24-year-old was quick to acknowledge that there is still a long way to go to achieve glory.

“The job is not done. We’re definitely happy about where we are right now, but we’re not satisfied. I think we just continue to push every single day, get back to work,” Reese said after Game 3 against the Liberty, per the WNBA’s YouTube channel.

“But yeah, we’re going to enjoy this moment tonight. We can’t shy away from knowing that we did put a lot of work to get to this moment. I’m really proud of this group.” Reese added.

Safe to say Angel Reese was the missing ingredient in head coach Smesko’s plans. While the Dream finished with the same 30-14 regular-season record last year, they fell flat in the first round at the hands of the Indiana Fever. Reese was the ceiling-raising acquisition the Dream needed to shift into another gear, and the DPOY has more than delivered on that aspect.

In what is her playoff debut, Angel Reese has recorded 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in five games, with her win percentage a solid 100. Game 3 against the Liberty, she popped off with 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists at the Barclays Center, shooting 2-of-4 from outside the arc and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Game 2 was a similar story, as Reese recorded 23 points, including six of the Dream’s 13 points in overtime.

But stats only tell part of Angel Reese’s story. Reese has grown a lot in just a season under Smesko, something that is intangible. Perhaps the biggest advantage of having a force like Reese is her ability to give confidence to her teammates, as pointed out by 39-year-old DeWanna Bonner.

“She’s the motor. Her defensive presence is unmatched. … She brings the toughness. She brings the umph. As long as she’s out there, we see her go hard, it’s like, ‘Man, I want to dive on the floor for a ball.’ That’s rare. That’s kind of hard to find … we feed off her, and she gets us going every single game.” Bonner said.

Angel Reese is certainly doing many things right when a veteran with 17 years of WNBA experience under her belt appreciates her presence. And while that can be credited to Smesko’s overall coaching methods or her chemistry with the likes of Naz Hillmon and Rhyne Howard, Reese has shown appreciation towards her mother for helping her through her journey in the W.

Angel Reese credits her mother for all her successes

The Atlanta Dream star shares a close and supportive relationship with her mother, Angel Webb Reese, someone who has watched Reese and her brother’s growth from the beginning. Reese’s mom herself played college basketball at the University of Maryland and later professionally in Luxembourg. Webb Reese taught Angel the fundamentals and was one of the reasons why she fell in love with the game.

Now that Webb Reese’s efforts were successful, to say the least, Reese credited her mom as one of the reasons she is where she is now.

“My mom raised me and my brother largely by herself. Our grandparents helped, but she did a lot on her own. I repay her by letting her live through me, support me, and show up. She’s loving and caring, and she knows the dark moments I’ve been through. I can call her crying at three in the morning, and she’s always there. I’m thankful for her and don’t take it for granted.” Reese said.

Angel Reese had a lot to celebrate this season, and her mother was actually a part of one of them. When Reese won the DPOY, Webb Reese delivered the award to her daughter, along with flowers, just hours before the Dream faced the Washington Mystics in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. Upon seeing her mother, a surprised Reese immediately broke down in tears and shared a heartfelt moment with her.

Reese received 46 of the 74 total votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. She beat A’ja Wilson, who received four votes, while Shakira Austin, Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron, and Rhyne Howard all had one vote.

The player who somewhat rivaled Reese for this award was Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams, who received 20 votes. The Atlanta Dream star will now meet Williams and co. in the WNBA Finals, and it will be interesting to see which offseason signing leads their team to glory for the first time in their franchise’s history.