Angel Reese’s “too small” taunt resurfaces in a pacifier jab at the Valkyries’ championship parade
A gesture that came after Atlanta took a 2-1 Finals lead resurfaced in San Francisco after Golden State won the title in seven games
Angel Reese’s “too small” gesture lasted only a moment in Game 3. But after the Golden State Valkyries beat her Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals, that moment followed her all the way to the champions’ parade.
Angel had reason to feel confident that night. She scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Atlanta rolled to a 97-71 win and took a 2-1 lead in the series. During the game, she directed the gesture toward the Valkyries’ bench, including center Aminata Gueye.
The gesture returned with a championship in hand
Golden State came back to win the series in seven games, earning its first WNBA title in just its second season. At the Nov. 4 parade in San Francisco, the Game 3 taunt resurfaced in a shirt held up by former Warriors center Festus Ezeli.
It showed Reese making the gesture, with her face replaced by the crying Michael Jordan meme.
Fans also shared photos of pink pacifiers with tags showing the same meme and the words “if found, return to ATL.” The pacifiers appeared to be a fan-made joke, separate from the team’s official parade celebration.
The teasing brought the Finals rivalry into the parade, but the championship celebration was much bigger than one jab at Reese.
For Golden State, the gesture had become part of the story of a seven-game series: Atlanta had its moment, the Valkyries came back, and a taunt from Game 3 resurfaced once the title was theirs.
In the end, the Valkyries got the last laugh: they won the championship, and Reese’s “too small” taunt came back around at their parade.
