Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have been rivals since college and their respective rise to stardom in the WNBA remains intertwined.
Over the weekend, the Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream 95-91 in an intense overtime thriller headlined by Clark’s gleeful smile when Reese missed the game-winning layup for the Dream.
The Sunday matchup on Aug. 16 became ESPN’s most-watched WNBA game ever, averaging 2.6 million viewers and peaking at 4 million. According to ESPN, the telecast ranks as the most-watch WNBA game ever, regular or postseason.
The WNBA audience has increased by 178% compared to last year’s ESPN coverage.
The network has frequently aired Fever games as of late, with Sunday’s game in Atlanta becoming the third game in the last two weeks to average more than 2.5 million views.
Clark, though a polarizing figure in women’s sports, remains one of the top faces in the league. Her influence in the WNBA is palpable as the Indiana guard received flowers from a young fan ahead of the Fever’s matchup against the Toronto Tempo Tuesday.
The 24-year-old’s popularity has evidently reached Canada.
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As for Reese, she made a name for herself as an elite rebounder out of LSU, where she led the school to its first National Championship. In the WNBA, she set the rookie double-double and various rebounding records.
Reese has also made a cultural impact, venturing into the fashion world and beyond.
