Angel Reese And Caitlin Clark Will Face Off During WNBA’s First-Ever ‘Rivals Week’

The WNBA is kicking off its first-ever “Rivals Week” with its two superstars, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.

After making headlines in 2023 following their intense showdown during the NCAA National Championship, where Reese and the LSU Tigers emerged victorious, basketball fans can’t seem to get over the competition between these two.

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Now, the WNBA is leaning into the battle, which is sure to draw eyes and attention.

The WNBA Is Pushing Angel Reese And Caitlin Clark Showdown

On social media, the WNBA’s official account posted about their first-ever “Rivals Week,” which will feature explosive showdowns between teams like the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, and, of course, Reese’s Chicago Sky and Clark’s Indiana Fever.

“Rivalries have always been prevalent in the W, but this season, we’re bringing you an ENTIRE week in August dedicated to the fiercest and most competitive MUST see matchups,” the league captioned the post.

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Although several WNBA viewers commented, saying there’s no rivalry between the Sky and Fever, it’s understandable why the league would want to bring more attention to their games.

According to CBS Sports, one of their matchups last year, where the Fever won 91-83, delivered an average television audience of 2.25 million viewers, the largest figure for any WNBA regular-season game in 23 years.

Angel Reese Recently Reflected On Beating Clark During March Madness

In early April 2025, amid that year’s March Madness contest, Reese reflected on the time she won a national championship against Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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On X, she opened up about the moment and admitted it had a positive impact on her life.

“D-mn,” she wrote. “I won a natty [two] years ago today [and] it changed my life forever.”

During LSU’s matchup against Clark and the Hawkeyes, Reese played 29 minutes and scored 15 points. She also secured 10 rebounds and had five assists, three steals, and one block.

Angel Reese Talks Trash, But It’s Not Personal

After winning the game, Reese received much negative criticism from sports fans and media personalities, such as Dave Portnoy, for her post-game celebration.

As the game was winding down, Reese found Clark on the court and did John Cena’s famous “you can’t see me” celebration.

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Viewers slammed the young baller for displaying what they believed was unsportsmanlike conduct; however, Reese was unbothered by the labels.

Later, she opened up about her relationship with Clark and said there was no bad blood between them.

“I don’t think people realize it’s not personal,” the LSU star said. “Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super competitive game and I would just wish people realized that.”

She went on to say that her competitive nature on the court is just part of who she is.

“I have plenty of friends on the court that I talk to outside of the game. But when I get between those lines, we’re not friends. We’re not buddies,” she said. “I’m going to talk trash to you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game, we can kick it. I don’t think people really realize that and that’s fine, I’ll take the villain role.”

Reese Is An ‘Unrivaled’ Champ

Following the 2024 WNBA season, several of the league’s biggest stars, including Reese, joined a new 3×3 league called Unrivaled.

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Reese played for the Rose BC alongside players like Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull, and Kahleah Copper.

After a rocky few first games, Reese and the rest of the Rose BC improved their skills as a unit and came back to win the league’s first-ever championship title, where they defeated the Vinyl BC with a score of 62-54.

Reese Was Unrivaled’s DPOY

Along with a championship title, Reese was also named Unrivaled’s first-ever defensive player of the year (DPOY).

According to a press release sent to The Blast, the honor came after the Bayou Barbie, 22, received the “most combined weighted votes from Unrivaled players and coaches, as well as a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.”

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Reese led the league in rebounds, averaging 12.1 per game, and also led her team in blocked shots.

“Reese was the anchor all season for the best scoring defense in Unrivaled, allowing 65.2 points per game,” the release stated.