How Angel Reese’s Game 3 Taunt Backfired Into Golden State’s Championship Parade Trolling

Angel Reese's 'too small' taunt in Game 3 preceded a dramatic collapse, as she failed to score more than 15 points in any of the final four games while Golden State rallied to win Game 7.

The Golden State Valkyries then took their victory celebration to the streets of San Francisco on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

Thousands of fans in lavender lined the Embarcadero to welcome the first WNBA champions in franchise history.

But the parade carried a message aimed directly at the Atlanta Dream forward.

Cameras caught Valkyries staff members wearing T-shirts that featured Reese's face edited into the famous crying Michael Jordan meme.

The shirts also included her trademark 'too small' hand gesture.

Another item spotted during the parade was a pink pacifier with a paper tag that read 'if found return to: ATL.'

A fan who shared a picture of the pacifier claimed these items were actually being distributed to the crowd.

Former Golden State Warriors player Festus Ezeli was also seen aboard one of the team's buses holding up one of the T-shirts.

The trolling traced back directly to Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.

That game took place on a date not specified in reports, but the result was a 68-63 victory for the Atlanta Dream.

Reese recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds in that game.

During the contest, she directed the 'too small' gesture toward the Valkyries' bench.

The gesture was aimed specifically at Valkyries forward Aminata Gueye, who had spent much of the series defending Reese.

At that moment, the Dream held a 2-1 series lead.

Atlanta appeared to have the momentum needed to move closer to the championship.

But the series turned decisively after that game.

Reese never scored more than 15 points in any of the final four games.

Golden State won three straight games to force a Game 7.

The decisive game ended with the same score as Game 3: 68-63.

Only this time, the Valkyries were the ones celebrating.

The response to Reese's celebration began almost immediately after the final buzzer.

Gueye posted a photo of Reese mid-taunt on Instagram.

Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes made the same 'too small' gesture on an Instagram live.

Then came the parade.

Center Kiah Stokes also joined in the victory lap.

She stepped off the ferry wearing a shirt that copied ESPN's title-odds chart from late July.

That chart listed the Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream as the top five picks.

Golden State was ranked sixth.

ESPN Insights replied on X, writing, 'Sorry we were a little late to the party.'

The doubts about the Valkyries were understandable at the time.

They were 10-7 at the midpoint of the season.

They had a 3-6 record against playoff teams.

They finished the regular season without a single All-WNBA player.

That made them the first champion in league history to have no player selected to an All-WNBA team.

After the ESPN chart came out, the Valkyries went 13-4.

They finished the regular season at 32-12 as the No. 2 seed.

As of November 4, 2026, ESPN's updated chart gave them a 100 percent chance of winning the Finals.

Stokes, who won her fourth WNBA championship, also set a Finals record with 19 blocks.

The Valkyries were in only their second season as a franchise.

They were an expansion team that began play in 2025.

Winning a title in the second year of existence is rare in professional sports.

The trolling at the parade served as a final reminder of how Reese's Game 3 taunt backfired.

It turned a moment of individual triumph into a symbol of the series that got away.

Reese's production dropped sharply after Game 3.

Her scoring average in the final four games fell well below her Game 3 output.

The Valkyries adjusted their defense, and Gueye continued to guard Reese through the remainder of the series.

Golden State's championship celebration included multiple layers of references to the rivalry.

The T-shirts, the pacifier, and the ESPN odds shirt all told a story of a team that remembered every slight.

The question now hangs over the WNBA offseason.

Did Reese's Game 3 gesture hand the Valkyries the emotional fuel they needed to turn the series around?

The Valkyries clearly believe it did.

They made sure the gesture did not go forgotten.

They turned it into a centerpiece of their championship parade.

They turned it into merchandise.

They turned it into a victory lap that will be remembered as long as this rivalry exists.

Reese has not publicly responded to the parade trolling as of the date of this report.

The Atlanta Dream have not issued a statement regarding the incident.

The WNBA has not commented on the Valkyries' actions during the parade.

The league typically allows teams to celebrate championships without interference.