Angel Reese on playing with Caitlin Clark in WNBA All-Star Game: 'The first of many'

Saturday, for the first time, two of the WNBA’s top rookies will play on the same team. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will suit up for Team WNBA in the All-Star Game as they take on Team USA in Phoenix.

It marks the first time the former college rivals will play on the same team, and they’re making history as the first rookie duo to play in the All-Star Game since 2014. Reese said she hadn’t spoken with Clark prior to the game, although they went through practice ahead of Saturday’s affair.

It likely won’t be the last time the two play together in the same game. But for this first time, Reese said it’s going to be fun to join forces with Clark rather than play against her.

“Everybody can cheer for both of us for one day, which is gonna be cool,” Reese told ESPN’s Michele Steele. “I’m excited. This is gonna be the first of many. I know we’re gonna be on All-Star teams together in the future. Olympic teams together in the future, too.

“I’m just excited just to be here in this moment and everybody coming and being able to watch. I know it’s gonna be a sold-out crowd. Women’s sports is going into a rise, and I’m happy.”

Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark helped fuel viewership surge

Clark and Reese’s rivalry boomed at the college level while starring for Iowa and LSU, respectively. The first matchup came on NCAA women’s basketball’s biggest stage when the Tigers defeated the Hawkeyes in the 2023 national championship. Since they both had another year of eligibility, the anticipation grew for a potential rematch.

That came in this past year’s Elite Eight – and Clark got the upper hand that night. Iowa defeated LSU to return to the Final Four in a game that drew a record audience. In fact, the 12.3 million people who tuned in meant it outdrew that national title game matchup a year earlier. They both then declared for the WNBA Draft, and the matchups continue to be huge draws.

Clark and the Indiana Fever have helped the WNBA set viewership records this year, playing in 14 of the 16 games to top 1 million viewers. But the games against Reese and the Chicago Sky sit above the rest. The last two showdowns became the most-watched games in the league in 25 years, including the June 23 game, which drew 2.30 million people.

Now, they’ll be playing on the same team for a change. The WNBA All-Star Game gets underway Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.