The perceived rivalry between WNBA rookie stars, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, has vaulted the league into a spotlight its never held before. With the upcoming Olympics break leading to a compressed, busy schedule, they’ve already played each other twice.
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Both games have made national headlines for their competitiveness and physicality, but it’s that rivalry that will make their third game on Sunday (June 23) the hottest ticket in WNBA history.
According to CNN, TickPick currently has tickets for the game at an average price of $253. Seats range from $250 to $9,000, which is crazy steep for a WNBA game. However, these players have earned it with their entertaining, tough, captivating competitions.
During their first game on June 1, Chennedy Carter made waves when she shoulder checked Clark to the court while they were waiting for an inbound pass. She was called for a common foul in the game, but the league upgraded it to a flagrant 1 the next day.
The discourse around the play became unbearable, with takes ranging from calls for Carter’s suspension to her arrest for assault. The check became a central talking point in the maddening idea that other players are jealous of the attention Clark gets.
Chennedy Carter gets Flagrant 1 call for shove on Caitlin Clark 👀 | WNBA on ESPN
As if that wasn’t enough, in their second game on June 16, Reese and Clark had a direct confrontation that made headlines. Reese was attempting a block when she missed the ball and hit Clark in the head. She was called for a flagrant 1 and told reporters after the game it was simply a “basketball play.”
Angel Reese’s contact to Caitlin Clark’s head upgraded to flagrant 1 | WNBA on ESPN
She’s not wrong. This sort of thing happens in the NBA all the time and no one loses their mind over it. Even if it happened between LeBron James and Stephen Curry, people would still say “it’s just part of the game” and move on.
But since women players aren’t afforded the same common sense analysis, it became another instance of the league being “too hard” on Clark. On top of all that, the two stars are locked in a very close Rookie of the Year contest. On Thursday, Reese made history with her seventh straight double-double, a WNBA record for a rookie. Meanwhile on Wednesday, Clark notched another double-double in their third straight win.
With so much controversy swirling around the first two match ups, it’s understandable that WNBA fans are hyped up for the next outing. Enjoy this one, because the teams don’t meet up again until Friday, Aug. 30.
