Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are facing off in Commissioner’s Cup on June 1

When Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark met in the 2023 NCAA Collegiate Championship Finals, they possibly laid the foundation for what could be one of the sport’s great rivalries one day.

With the two rivals facing off for the first time in the WNBA on Saturday in the Commissioner’s Cup, former Pro-Bowl running back Fred Taylor, a regular on The Pivot podcast with Ryan Clark chimed in about the two young rivals’ growing pains in the WNBA.

Stressing on the competitive nature of athletes, Taylor speculated that Clark and Reese will find it difficult to adjust to the WNBA as many veterans will have an axe to take them down whenever possible. He was also quick to note that this stems from the veterans’ competitive nature and not from malice. However he went on to adjudge some of the comments from the veterans to be ‘salty’.

“[They are] the two players with the biggest targets on their back in this rookie class and and those vets want a piece of that….the vets certainly, in my opinion sounded a bit salty” (From 31:50)

The first meeting between the two stars in the making drew comparisons to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson’s legendary meeting in the 1979 NCAA Finals. Like the two NBA legends, these two young prospects captured the imagination of the American public and led to a cresting of popularity of women’s basketball.

This tidal wave has taken them to the WNBA where the dynamic duo were both drafted in the lottery with Caitlin Clark going first to the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese going seventh to the Chicago Sky.

Their rivalry will give WNBA fans much to cheer about in years to come and the first instalment on Saturday promises to live up to the hype.

How are Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese faring in the WNBA?

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on Draft Night 2024
Despite the supposed antipathy toward them, both have managed to distinguish themselves, with Caitlin Clark leading all Indiana Fever scorers with an average of 17.6 points as her team struggles with a 1-8 record. She has, however, faced some issues with fouling early on.

Angel Reese also has had a decent start, even though she’s found it hard to adapt to the WNBA, averaging 11.0 points. She has helped lead the Chicago Sky to a 3-3 record. She also averages 8.2 rebounds per game and has formed a solid frontcourt with center Elizabeth Williams.