Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will play on same team after WNBA announcement

Two of the WNBA’s biggest stars, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, will go from rivals to teammates later this month in the WNBA’s All-Star game against Team USA after being voted onto the roster

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will put their rivalry to one side as the two prepare to team up on the same WNBA All-Star roster later this month.

The two rookies first ignited their rivalry in 2023 during the college basketball postseason, as they competed for a national championship, with Clark on Iowa and Reese the face of eventual champion LSU. The duo trash talked each other throughout the national championship game before LSU emerged victorious, adding to the entertainment factor of the grand occasion.

Clark and Iowa got revenge earlier this year, though, knocking the defending champions out of contention at the NCAA Tournament, only for the Hawkeyes to lose a second consecutive national championship game, this time to South Carolina. The 22-year-olds were both first-round WNBA Draft picks this year, with Clark going No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever, and Reese at No. 7 to the Chicago Sky.

Since their drafting, Clark and Reese have played each other on three occasions, with the Fever winning two of those meetings. In the second meeting, a Fever win, Reese was slapped with a flagrant 1 after hitting Clark in the head while attempting to block a shot.

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However, Reese came out on top the last time the two teams met at the end of last month, with the Sky running out 88-87 winners. They will meet for a fourth time this season in Aug. with the game falling after their combination in the WNBA All-Star game.

Both have played out standout campaigns and are strong contenders for WNBA Rookie of the Year. Clark is currently leading all rookies in scoring (16.0), assists (7.1), 3-pointers (2.7 per game), and minutes played (34.4). She ranks second in steals (1.3) and fourth in rebounding (5.7).

Meanwhile, Reese has had more consecutive double-doubles than anyone in WNBA history with 11 and counting. The pair’s arrival in the WNBA has helped bring more eyes to the sport and they insist they’re not rivals, despite many of their fans claiming otherwise.

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Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s rivalry dates back to their college basketball days ( 
Image:
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“Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other,” Reese said. “I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super competitive game. Once I get between those lines, there’s no friends. I have plenty of friends on the court that I talk to outside of the game, but like when I get between those lines, we’re not friends. We’re not buddies. I’m going to talk trash to you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game we can kick it.”

Clark chimed in, saying: “Obviously, she played in the Big Ten for a while to begin her career and that’s what makes women’s basketball so fun. You have great competition and that’s what we’ve had all year long. But I think Angel would say the same, it’s not just us in women’s basketball.

“That’s not the only competitive thing about where our game is at and that’s what makes it so good. We need multiple people to be really good. I think both of our careers, whether she decides to stay or to go, we’ll have great careers in the WNBA and that’s been both of our dreams all along. So I think we’re both excited for that as well.”

Joining Clark and Reese on Team WNBA against Team USA are DeWanna Bonner, Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray, Dearica Hamby, Brionna Jones, Jonquel Jones, Kayla McBride, Kelsey Mitchell, Arike Ogunbowale and Nneka Ogwumike.