The 2025 WNBA Regular Season The schedule was released on Monday and the final clash between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will take place straight away.
Clark’s Indiana fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky will face off to open their respective seasons on May 17 – one day after the opening round of the competition the day before.
This rivalry dating back to their college days at Iowa and LSU quickly translated to the pros, as drama was seen in the Rookie of the Year race and their on-field matchups.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) works the basket against Dallas Wings guard Sevgi Uzun in the first half of a WNBA basketball game on Sunday, September 1, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Clark won Rookie of the Year this past season after setting numerous rookie and league records Reese quickly made her presence known as a fellow WNBA All-Star by also impacting Chicago during her freshman season.
Last season there were four meetings between the Fever and Sky, and each meeting was more anticipated than the next as these two tried to outplay each other to secure a win for their side.
But it was Clark’s Fever who recorded three wins in the four meetings. However, in those games, Reese scored more points and rebounds than Clark, although the floor general Reese was the best in assists in all four games.
CAITLIN CLARK IS A BIG STAR THAN NBA’S BEST PLAYERS, FAMOUS PODCAST HOST SAYS
There were also some tense moments in those games, starting with Reese’s teammate, Chennedy Carter’s flagrant foul on Clark early in the season, which made national headlines and sparked much sports debate after the veteran guard pinned the rookie to the ground in what many describe it as a cheap shot.
Then, on June 16, Clark went for a layup against the Sky when Reese came flying in to try to swat the ball away. Instead, her arm hit Clark in the head, and she fell hard.
A flagrant 1 foul was called on Reese, who had to defend herself after the play, saying she was simply trying to play the ball and not trying to hurt Clark.
Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese (5) drives to the basket as Los Angeles Sparks’ Dearica Hamby defends during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, 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 her team at this point.
Their achievements, both in college and in the pros, have propelled each of them to celebrity status that transcends sports. In fact, Reese said on the first episode of her podcast that the 2023 national championship game between her Tigers and Clark’s Hawkeyes “changed my life forever.”
But that change is sometimes accompanied by hatred.
“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just driving for her, and I respectfully respect that,” Reese said. “But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes down to it.”
There’s no doubt that Clark and Reese have each played a major role in the growth of women’s basketball and women’s sports in general, resulting in the WNBA wasting no time in getting them on the court immediately for their latest rivalry chapter.
Also worth noting on the WNBA schedule release is the newest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, who tip off for their very first game on May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Angel Reese defended her block attempt on Caitlin Clark, which resulted in a flagrant-1 foul. (Getty Images)
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The New York Liberty, winners of the 2024 WNBA title, will attend their ring ceremony on May 17 before their matchup with the Las Vegas Aces.
The Fever and Sky will have five meetings in the 2025 season.
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