Caitlin Clark on her rivalry with Angel Reese: 'I think it's been really good for the game'

Caitlin Clark made sure to give Angel Reese her props for the part that she has played in helping grow the WNBA this season. The two met for the second time in the pros on Sunday when the Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky by a score of 91-83 as both players put up big performances.

Clark nearly finished with a triple-double with 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in the win. She made WNBA history in the process, becoming the fastest player in league history to record 200 points, 75 assists and 75 rebounds.

Reese also tied a WNBA record to notch her sixth straight double-double as she scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to go along with five assists. Clark was asked about the impact that Reese has made on the league in such a short amount of time during her postgame press conference, and didn’t hesitate to praise her opponent.

“What she’s done with her platform has been absolutely incredible,” she said. “She has an entire fan base that has supported her in what she did at Maryland and LSU. I’ve played her for a very long time and she’s been a tremendous player. It’s been fun getting to compete against. I think it’s been really good for the game.

“People love seeing great matchups, but also at the same time, people tune in for these matchups so then they get to see how amazing these teams are. Then they find new players to support and continue to come back for them too.”

Caitlin Clark on why a lot of people watch her and Angel Reese play:

“I think what she’s [Reese] has done with her platform has been absolutely incredible. She has an entire fanbase that has supported her and what she did at Maryland and then LSU. Obviously, l've played her… pic.twitter.com/kYYGY1rRaE

— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) June 16, 2024

Clark’s comments come after Reese seemed to take a shot at her a couple of weeks ago regarding the attention she has received since entering the WNBA.

“I’ll take the bad guy role and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates,” Reese said. “I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me, too.”

The first meeting between the Fever and Sky this season saw 1.53 million people tune in. Numbers for Sunday’s game have yet to be released, but one would imagine a similar amount of eyeballs were locked in for the CBS broadcast.

Games featuring Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have drawn large interest dating back to their meeting in the 2022 national championship game. Reese and LSU defeated Clark and Iowa in that one and the rivalry began when Reese was seen making a ‘you-cant-see-me’ hand motion in the direction of Clark and pointing to her ring finger.

The two stars met again in this past season’s Elite Eight, with Clark getting her revenge as 12.3 million people watched that game. It’s clear the fans have carried over to the pros to follow both stars, and Clark acknowledged that.