What would it take for Brittney Griner to walk away from the only WNBA home she had ever known? Last season, the answer was a fresh challenge. After spending her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner shocked the basketball world by joining Karl Smesko’s Atlanta Dream, a team coming off a disappointing 15-25 campaign. The move paid off for Atlanta, as the Dream produced their best season since 2018. But for Griner, the partnership lasted just one year, with the Dream ultimately replacing her with Angel Reese.

The future Hall of Famer headed to the Connecticut Sun after posting career-low numbers in Atlanta, with the added attraction of the franchise’s planned move to her hometown of Houston in 2027. That set the stage for Tuesday night: Griner’s first game against her former team since the split. Unfortunately for the 10-time All-Star, it turned into a night she’d rather forget.

With 7:43 remaining in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Atlanta held a slim 68-65 lead. That’s when Reese found herself battling Griner underneath the basket after a missed shot. As both players fought for position and attempted to secure the ball, the footage clearly showed Griner’s hand wrapped around the Dream forward, causing Reese to fall to the floor.

Griner stood over Reese for a brief moment after the foul, appearing surprised by the whistle. Fortunately, the incident never escalated into a full-blown confrontation, with the veteran center even extending a hand to help Reese back to her feet.

However, after reviewing the play, officials assessed Griner with her first Flagrant 1 foul of the 2026 season. Reese was then sent to the free-throw line, where she converted one of her two attempts. But that wasn’t the end of Griner’s troubles.

Thanks to the new CBA, a Flagrant 1 foul carries an automatic $500 fine and one flagrant point. Whereas a Flagrant 2 results in a $1,000 fine, two flagrant points, and an automatic ejection. Players who accumulate four flagrant points during the season are subject to an automatic one-game suspension.

Griner now has one flagrant point; three more trigger automatic suspension. 

Now, after the flagrant foul was called on Griner, a large section of the WNBA community felt the Bayou Barbie had sold the contact and that the play wasn’t worthy of a Flagrant 1. Whether you agree with that assessment is up to you. But what is becoming increasingly clear is that incidents like these are no longer isolated cases. They have become a recurring theme across the WNBA this season.

Last season, the league faced heavy criticism from players over inconsistent foul calls and the rising physicality of the game. In response, the WNBA formed an officiating task force and introduced stricter foul interpretations along with steeper fines for hard contact, particularly around illegal contact and freedom-of-movement violations. The result?

More whistles, more stoppages, and far less tolerance for anything that even resembles excessive physicality. As a result, controversial foul calls have become an increasingly common sight around the league.

Paige Bueckers was handed a technical foul after clapping her hands in an expression of emotion while driving to the basket and drawing a foul. Official Kevin Fahy interpreted the gesture as unsportsmanlike conduct and assessed a technical. The call was later rescinded by the league.

Even Angel Reese has her own history of flagrant fouls. The 24-year-old received a call after she got tangled up with Kyara Linskens of the Phoenix Mercury during the opening minutes of the fourth quarter in a game last month. Reese caught Linskens around the neck and face with her shoulder, which sent the Mercury center crashing to the floor. 

But while you could argue that the contact itself warranted a Flagrant 1, it’s much harder to justify the technical foul Reese received for waving her hands at the officials during the game against the Portland Fire. Unlike Paige Bueckers’ technical, which was later rescinded, Reese’s remains on the books.

But that’s all for penalties, as Reese’s recent game definitely warrants a celebration (and not just because of her team’s win!)

Angel Reese reaches WNBA milestone 

While the Griner-Reese collision generated plenty of attention, Atlanta’s performance on the court ultimately stole the show.

Thanks to Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, who combined for 62 points, the Dream was able to push past the Sun 91-75 and secured their fourth straight victory over Connecticut.

However, this matchup also featured an interesting storyline before tip-off. After Griner spent her 2025 season with the Dream, many fans thought her familiarity with Atlanta’s style could help Connecticut gain an edge.

But whenever Griner and her teammates tried to get close, Atlanta pulled away, and Reese led the charge with her first three-pointer as a Dream player. Her shot sparked a 7-0 run that gave Atlanta an advantage that the Sun were never able to come back against.

Reese finished the night with 12 points and 13 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, which also marked another milestone in her young career as she recorded her 1,000th career WNBA points.

However, with this game behind them, what’s next is something fans have been craving. Atlanta faces Indiana on June 4 in a matchup that will once again put Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark on the same court.

Reese and Clark have had one of basketball’s most talked-about rivalries ever since their college days. So every time they have fought against each other, the games have generated massive numbers and headlines, and there is no doubt the upcoming one will be one of those.