The two biggest stars in the WNBA this season were unquestionable Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky Forward Angel Reese.
Most people became acquainted with the pair during their college days when Reese was with the LSU Tigers and Clark was an Iowa Hawkeye. In their Junior years, Reese defeated Clark and Iows in the national championship before Clark got her revenge in the Elite 8 the following season.
The pair’s rivalry carried over into their professional careers. The two battled each other the entire year for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, with Clark taking home the hardware in the end. Always a thorn in Clark’s side, Reese prevented Clark from winning unanimously by receiving a single vote.
Now Reese is talking about what she wants next out of her career alongside Clarks.
“Me and Caitlin have been playing against each other since we were kids,” Reese told the Wall Street Journal.
“It’s just a full circle moment of how women are viewed when it comes to trash-talking, and it’s okay in men’s sport.”
“So we’re going to normalize that in women’s sports as well. It’s just super competitive. I think we’re two great competitors.
We brought a lot of fans to this league, and I thought, we’re going to continue to do that, and one day, hopefully we can be teammates.”
In the meantime, the two will have to settle for remaining fierce competitors. Their rivalry has even garnered comparisons to the legendary rivalry between NBA legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
Johnson has even made the parallels himself.
“When I think about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s impact on the game, they remind me a lot of Larry Bird and me. Our first meeting, Indiana State vs. Michigan State, in the NCAA Championship set the all-time viewership record for men’s basketball. Caitlin and Angel’s 2023 NCAA Championship matchup and their 2024 Elite Eight games were the highest viewership records at the time,” he tweeted in June.
When I think about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s impact on the game, they remind me a lot of Larry Bird and me. Our first meeting, Indiana State vs. Michigan State, in the NCAA Championship set the all-time viewership record for men’s basketball. Caitlin and Angel’s 2023 NCAA…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 24, 2024
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for Reese and Clark as they push the WNBA to new heights.
