The WNBA has announced its inaugural rivals week, which will be headlined by Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. WNBA Rivals Week will take place in August as Reese’s Chicago Sky and Clark’s Indiana Fever tip off the action in prime time.
The Fever-Sky game will broadcast on CBS on Aug. 9.
This past season marked the third season the NBA held its rivalry week. The New Orleans Pelicans, led by Zion Williamson, have been matched up against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies this past rivals week. Neither Williamson or Morant played in the Jan. 24 contest.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she thought the idea was great for the league because the timing of rivals week is in the thick of team’s final playoff pushes, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Reese and Clark’s rivalry started back when the two prep stars faced each other on the AAU circuit. In college, it continued in the Big Ten Conference as Reese was at the University of Maryland and Clark was at the University of Iowa. In the 2021 Big Ten Tournament title game, Maryland beat Iowa 104-84. Clark finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Reese, who came off the bench and dealt with injuries that season, finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes.
Then, Reese transferred to LSU where she became “Bayou Barbie.” As Reese began getting more national attention with her viral on-the-court moments and impressive double-double stat lines, Clark emerged as the national face of women’s college basketball, replacing UConn guard Paige Bueckers in the role, as Bueckers also dealt with season-ending injuries. Clark and Reese are both fiery players on the court, not afraid to express their competitive nature out loud to will their teams to victory.
LSU’s Angel Reese reacts in front of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark during the second half of the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship basketball game Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Dallas. LSU won 102-85 to win the championship.Associated Press photo by Tony Gutierrez
Throughout the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Reese pointed to her ring finger, signifying she wanted to win a national championship. Clark also had multiple celebrations with the most viral one mimicking John Cena’s “you can’t see me” hand motion to former Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith. So in the closing moments of LSU defeating Iowa in the national championship game, Reese walked by Clark, mimicked Clark’s viral “you can’t see me” celebration before she pointed to her ring finger and headed to the other side of the court.
The aforementioned moment launched the popularity of women’s basketball and its brand to the next level. The popularity of both Reese and Clark carried with them throughout their senior seasons in 2023-24 through the WNBA last summer. Reese and Clark played on Team WNBA in the 2024 All-Star Game, which garnered a reported 3.44 million viewers. The All-Star exhibition featuring the two young stars was the third-most watched WNBA game ever, according to Front Office Sports.
The top two merchandise-selling players in the WNBA in 2024 were Clark and Reese, according to Boardroom.
Other games in the rivals week include: A 2024 Finals rematch between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty; a potential reunion of former UConn teammates Aaliyah Edwards of the Washington Mystics and Paige Bueckers, expected to join the Dallas Wings; Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner’s return to Phoenix to face the Mercury; Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown and forward Nneka Ogwumike’s return to Los Angeles to face the Sparks; a potential Bueckers and Clark matchup; and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson facing Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.
