Rhyne Howard of Team USA poses for a portrait while holding the championship trophy and wearing her gold medal at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Germany 2026 Champion's Studio Session at Berlin Arena on September 13, 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
Queen Latifah at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Key Takeaways
- Rhyne Howard met Queen Latifah after the Atlanta Dream’s 95-84 win over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on Monday (Sept. 21).
- Angel Reese greeted Queen Latifah and pointed Howard out, helping initiate the postgame introduction.
- Howard called the meeting "years in the making," while Allisha Gray said she had waited "forever" to meet Queen Latifah.
Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard had two reasons to smile after leaving Barclays Center on Monday (Sept. 21) night.
First came the win. The Dream defeated the New York Liberty 95-84. Then came a moment Howard had apparently been waiting years for: finally meeting Queen Latifah. The WNBA shared a clip on X capturing the guard’s excitement shortly after the introduction. Teammate Allisha Gray was just as hype for her, jumping around and telling the camera that “she been waiting forever to meet Queen Latifah. Oh my God.”
Howard could barely contain herself. “This is years in the making, oh my God. I gotta hold it together for now,” she said.
Another clip shared by the Dream showed Angel Reese walking over to the Hip Hop legend and greeting her with, “It’s the queen, what’s up,” before giving her a hug. Reese then pointed toward Howard, helping set up the long-awaited introduction. Howard walked over and embraced the Bringing Down the House actress before DeWanna Bonner greeted her next.
The Tennessee native later summed up her feelings on social media with one very appropriate caption: “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" plus some teary-eyed emojis.
Rhyne Howard’s WNBA career has been filled with milestones
Meeting her idol was a sweet way to cap the night, but Howard has had plenty to celebrate on the court, too. The 26-year-old was selected by Atlanta with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft after playing at the University of Kentucky. She went on to earn Rookie of the Year honors that season and was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2025.
More recently, Howard set the WNBA single-season record for 3-pointers, reaching 129 in 40 games and surpassing the previous mark held by Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu. She also returned to Atlanta after helping Team USA win the FIBA World Cup in Germany.
And apparently, Queen Latifah has been on Howard’s wish list for a while. USA Today WNBA senior reporter Meghan L. Hall noted that Howard had been asking the rapper and actor to attend one of her games for years. It may not have happened at a Dream home game, but after a win in Brooklyn, she finally got her moment.