The WNBA rivalry between Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese is picking up real heat, and it’s drawing reactions from other notable leagues, such as the NFL. With both having been drafted around the top in 2024, their career paths are constantly being compared, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe was the latest to weigh in.
Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese Could Become a Defining Rivalry for the WNBA
Clark and Reese faced off on Thursday night in a highly anticipated matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With both teams in the running for the top of the Eastern Conference, the star power of the two youngsters brought even more fanfare to the game.
Indy took the first quarter with some solid offense; however, the Dream took the half and never looked back. Following a level third, Clark and company fought hard in the fourth, but Reese and Dreams’ defense stood firm to claim a 108-101 victory on the road.
The close game marks yet another chapter in the Clark-Reese rivalry, in which Clark still has a 5-2 edge in the WNBA. Nonetheless, NFL icon Shannon Sharpe weighed in on the intensity of the rivalry
“A lot of times, what people don’t understand — and I didn’t understand until I got into the business — sports are about stories,” he said on “Nightcap.” “I know fans look at wins and losses, but what about stories? When Larry Bird and Magic Johnson got to the NBA, it was a story — a very compelling story.”
Bird and Johnson’s rivalry in the ’80s is widely regarded as a key factor in reviving the NBA back then. The two icons first went toe-to-toe in the National Championship game of ’79 — the most-watched college basketball game at the time. Johnson beat Bird in an epic clash.
And the legend was born.
Johnson joined the LA Lakers, Bird signed with the Boston Celtics — and the stage was set for the ’80s. The decade became famous as the golden age of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, with the two teams combining for an unprecedented eight NBA titles.
What’s in store for the WNBA with Clark and Reese still in their dawning years?
Now, we don’t talk about this too much,” Sharpe added. “But what color was Bird, what color was magic? Bird was in the Eastern Conference; Magic was in the Western Conference. Boom, we got a storyline that we can ride for the next several years. Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark come — boom.”
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The uncanny parallels between the two eras’ rivalries only add to the excitement around the WNBA.
“Bird and Magic played in the National Championship game in ’79 in Salt Lake City,” Sharpe noted. “And guess what — Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese played in a National Championship game… So we have a very compelling storyline to embrace and wrap ourselves around.”
As the Fever and Dream are in the title run this season, fans will be glued to their screens every time these two sides go head-to-head.
