The 2025 WNBA regular season schedule was released on Monday, with the latest game between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese set to take place immediately.
Clark's Indiana Fever and Reese's Chicago Sky will face off to open their respective seasons on May 17, the day after the previous league opener.
The rivalry, which dates back to their college days at Iowa and LSU, quickly trickled down to the pros, with drama in the Rookie of the Year competition and on-court matchups.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) tackles a basket against Dallas Wings guard Sebugi Uzun during the first half on September 1, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Clark won Rookie of the Year last season after setting numerous rookie and league records, but Reese also made an impact in Chicago in his first year and quickly made his presence felt as a fellow WNBA All-Star. Showed.
There were four meetings between the Fever and Sky last season, each one more anticipated than the next as both sides tried to compete with each other to help their teams win.
However, it was Clark's Fever who won three of the four meetings. However, while Reese had more points and rebounds than Clark in those games, the floor general topped Reese in assists in all four games.
Caitlin Clark is a bigger star than the NBA's best player, says famous podcast host
Those games also included tense moments earlier in the season when Reese's teammate Chennedy Carter started a flagrant foul on Clark, sparking much sports controversy after the veteran guard pinned the rookie to the ground. there were. cheap shot.
Then, on June 16, as Clark was going for a layup against the Sky, Reese came flying in to knock the ball away. Instead, her arm hit Clark in the head and she fell hard.
Rees was called for a flagrant foul and had to defend himself after the game, saying he was just trying to play with the ball and was not trying to hurt Clark.
Angel Reese, 5, of the Chicago Sky, runs to the basket as Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks defends her during the first half on May 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
Clark would say the same thing, understanding that Reese was just trying to help the team in that moment.
Their performances in both college and the pros have led them to reach celebrity status beyond the confines of sports. Reese even said in the opening episode of his podcast that the 2023 National Championship Game between the Tigers and Clark-Hawkeyes “changed my life forever.”
But that change can also be accompanied by hatred.
“I think the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, and now the Indiana fans are the only ones that are really right. They're running for her, and I respect that with great respect,” Reese said. . “But sometimes it can be very rude. I think there's a lot of racism when it comes to that.”
There's no question that Clark and Reese have each played important roles in the growth of women's basketball and women's sports in general, and the WNBA wasted no time in highlighting them in the latest chapter of their rivalry. He succeeded in getting him to stand on the court.
Also worth noting in the WNBA schedule announcement is the newest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, who will play their first game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 16th.
Angel Reese defended a block attempt on Caitlin Clark, which resulted in one flagrant foul being called. (Getty Images)
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The New York Liberty, who won the 2024 WNBA title, will hold a ring ceremony on May 17th before facing the Las Vegas Aces.
The Fever and Sky are scheduled to meet five times during the 2025 season.
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