The electrifying feud between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese continues to shape the future of the WNBA.
The League has yet to announce when Rookie Of The Year will be named, though Clark and Reese have already solidified their place as nominees.
The current front-runner is Clark, No. 22 on the Indiana Fever.
Clark has broken dozens of records over her collegiate and early WNBA career. She holds the record for most assists in a rookie season, averages 18 points a game, leads the league in 164 turnovers, and is on her way to breaking the 3-point rookie record.
Despite Clark’s many achievements, Reese’s achievements should not be disregarded. She’s currently tied with Tina Charles at 22 for most double-doubles by a rookie and is expected to break the record in her next few games.
Reese also has a collection of streaks, such as consecutive double-doubles (15) and three consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds, more than anyone in the WNBA.
Social media has also greatly impacted both athletes’ careers, Clark has accumulated almost 3 million followers on Instagram and Reese with over 4 million, making her the most followed WNBA player.
The famous Clark vs. Reese game garnered 3.3 million views, making it the most-viewed WNBA game of all time.
Of course, this all follows the viral Iowa-LSU game where Reese beat Clark, winning the NCAA Championship in 2023.
Despite the fans’ tension, the women publicly claim to have no real hatred toward each other, but that didn’t stop fans from pushing the rivalry.
Reese has received hate on all forms of social media from Clarks fans.
She has been faced with bigotry and called countless racist terms online, as a result of this, Reese has spoken about its effect on her in multiple interviews, and said “I know how y’all like to twist my words – I can’t trust any of y’all” during one interview.
She has also suffered from cyberbullying from Clark’s close friends and family, her boyfriend Connor McCaffrey has made multiple prejudiced tweets and liked posts comparing the two players.
Even though Clark has seen the online hate for years, she didn’t speak about it until recently, when Connecticut Sun Guard DiJonai Carrington made a post targeted at her tweeting, “How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and the intersectionalities of them all is nuts…We all have a platform. We all have a voice and they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury.”
The tweet quickly went viral, resulting in Clark finally making a statement, “Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect. People should not be using my name to push those agendas… It’s not acceptable,” Clark said.
Ultimately, Clark and Reese are both in contention for the Rookie Of The Year Award.
Both women seem to have finally put the contest to rest, but the question still remains if fans will revive the feud for the 2024 WNBA Awards.