Getty WNBA star Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky
By any measure, the WNBA has gotten a jolt to open the 2024 season, a jolt that started well before the beginning of the year—one that goes back to the rise and popularity of star guard Caitlin Clark during her time at Iowa. The popularity of Angel Reese at LSU, which had faced Clark and the Hawkeyes twice in the NCAA tournament, including in the 2023 final, had propelled the sport, too, as had the emergence of South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso.
And there’s more. But for Reese, there is a concern that too much has been heaped on Clark, that she has gotten too much of the of the attention that should be shared among the incoming class. That’s not necessarily Clark’s fault, of course, but Reese expressed some frustration with the way Clark appears to use up all the rookies’ oxygen.
The WNBA has gotten record viewership for its first two weeks, and has seen attendance shoot up by 14%, per the AP. That goes beyond Clark, Reese said this week.
“It’s not just one person, I think people don’t realize that (because) the narrative out there is that just one person is changing the game,” Reese said Thursday.
WNBA Has a Loaded Rookie Class
Indeed, even with Cardoso, who led South Carolina to a championship over Clark’s Iowa team in a finale that drew record-breaking audiences in March, sidelined, Reese and the Chicago Sky have seen their popularity spike. Chicago upset the undefeated Liberty this week in New York.
Cardoso was the No. 3 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. The No. 2 pick, Cameron Brink, has been an early contributor for a tough, rebuilt L.A. Sparks team that also features 2024 No. 4 pick Rickea Jackson. First-rounders Jacy Sheldon (Dallas Wings) and Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics) are also getting double-digit minutes with their teams.
Reese said that deserves more attention.
“It’s a lot of us — me, Kamilla (Cardoso), there’s Cameron (Brink), Rickea (Jackson). There’s so many great players and it’s been long overdue and just being able to see that our impact has been able to change the game,” Reese said.
“I love it for us all and we’re just going to continue to keep going.”
Angel Reese for Rookie of the Year?
Reese has had a solid early season herself, and while Clark has the numbers—17.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds—she has been very inefficient with her scoring. Clark has shot 40.3% from the field and 32.6% from the 3-point line, averaging a whopping 5.8 turnovers.
Clark and the Indiana Fever are 0-5 this year.
That could open the way to someone besides Clark winning Rookie of the Year. That would be a shocking development, but Clark’s poor shooting at least makes it possible.
Reese would be the early frontrunner to pull off that upset, as she is averaging 12.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games. But she has struggled with her shooting even more than Clark, making only 33.3% from the field—which is made worse by the fact that she’s not a 3-point shooter.
The Sparks’ duo of Jackson (who is averaging 9.7 points on 50% shooting and 47.9% 3-point shooting) and Brink (6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 blocked shots) could potentially earn consideration, too.
Reese is, indeed right: It’s not just one person.