The budding rivalry between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever has been well-documented this season.
Much of it stems from the already established rivalry that rookie phenoms Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had in college, with Reese’s LSU beating Clark’s Iowa in the 2023 national title game, and then Clark and the Hawkeyes getting revenge in the 2024 Elite Eight.
Now, the duo are playing for two of the WNBA’s midwestern franchises, neck-and-neck in a Rookie of the Year race, and drawing comparisons to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
There were also memes from Reese’s battles with Sky forward NaLyssa Smith, Clark mean-mugging the Sky bench, Reese’s flagrant foul on Clark, and Chennedy Carter’s cheap shot. A game between the Sky and Fever in June shattered a 23-year-old WNBA viewership record.
But after Clark dished out an assist to Reese on Saturday night in the WNBA All-Star Game, the Sky thought it was time to let bygones be bygones.
We’ll see if this truce holds up for when the Sky host the Fever on Aug. 30 — the final regular-season meeting between the two teams.
Angel Reese Gets Harsh Roasting After Caitlin Clark, Fever Make WNBA Playoffs.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have officially punched their ticket to the WNBA playoffs following a loss for the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream.
Chicago was taken down by the Las Vegas Aces 90-71, and the Dream fell on a road matchup to the desert 74-66. Despite the Fever putting the recliner back on Tuesday, they were able to achieve a feat that hasn’t been done since 2016.
They’ll be taking a trip to the postseason, after the Sky and Dream hurt their chances of competing for a higher seed.
Since Clark and Sky rookie Angel Reese have been closely connected in the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year race in 2024, the Chicago forward was trending after Indiana clinched a playoff berth.
WNBA fans were calling out Reese, with some mentioning that the Rookie of the Year race is over and others simply sharing their thoughts about the superiority of Caitlin Clark.
“Both are terrific young stars who will carry the WNBA for a decade,” said one fan. “But you just have to watch one Caitlin Clark game and one Angel Reese game to see how much more Clark affects the game. It’s not difficult….”
“Angel Reese and the Sky have been mathematically eliminated from the WNBA playoffs,” mentioned one fan. “Discussion over. Caitlin Clark is the undisputed ROY.”
“I’m a huge Angel Reese fan, but I admit Caitlin Clark deserves the WNBA Rookie of the Year,” said another fan. “I don’t see how it’s controversial.”
“Sheryl Swoops was there to witness it as Angel Reese notched another double double loss.” commented one fan.
“And you tell me Angel Reese is ROTY make it make sense,” said one fan with a laughing emoji.
Reese’s squad in Chicago and Clark’s team in Indiana have been on completely different paths as of late.
The Sky are riding a seven-game losing streak, falling to 11-22 on the season after a loss to the Aces on Tuesday.
Despite the struggles for Chicago, Reese has still been able to produce at a high level. She posted 12 points and 16 rebounds against LV, marking her third straight double-double.
Heading into the contest against the Aces, Reese was averaging 13.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. She’s the only rookie averaging a double-double and leads the WNBA in average rebounds.
Given the irony of Reese and the Sky helping push the Fever into the playoffs, WNBA fans made sure to share their thoughts on the situation. They may be throwing Reese under the bus, but the focus should be on the Fever’s success.
Indiana is riding a four-game win streak. They’re the hottest team in the league and are currently listed as the No. 6 seed in the WNBA standings with a 17-16 record.
Caitlin Clark has been a major contributor to those numbers, averaging 18.7 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game.