Rachel Nichols Agrees With Angel Reese, Compares Rivalry With Caitlin Clark to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

While the WNBA has garnered a lot of attention in recent days, the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has the potential to raise the league to new heights. While Reese has no objection to playing the role of the villain in this rivalry, the Chicago Sky’s rookie has made it known that she wants her due recognition, pointing out how, without her, the rivalry doesn’t exist to begin with.

Veteran Journalist, Rachel Nichols, seemed to agree with the 23-year-old’s statements, even backing up the Chicago-based athlete during a recent episode of UNDISPUTED.

She pointed out that the rivalry between Clark and Reese had the potential to be for the WNBA, what Larry Bird and Magic Johnson’s rivalry was for the NBA. Moving forward, Nichols laid focus on the rhetoric surrounding this. Talking about it further, the host said,

“One of the main conversations people have been having about the woman’s game is that it pits Caitlin Clark as this damsel in distress and Angel Reese…and you heard her say I am the villain. I think it’s not fair to either one of them.”

Later on, Nichols admitted that for there to be a rivalry, one person had to play the bad guy, and even though the idea didn’t amuse her, she understood that it could completely transform the WNBA,

“This whole rivalry does have the potential to grow into the kind of Bird-Magic situation that lifted the NBA.”

Closing out her comments, Nichols mentioned that the gender bias surrounding rivalries in the WNBA would be an obstacle in the league’s attempt to push this.

For her, certain media members and analysts have preconceived notions and biases when it comes to such rivalries in women’s sports. Per him, “hard-nosed” and “competitive” behavior in the men’s league is termed “petty” and “unprofessional” in the WNBA. However, Reese has no such issues until she gets the respect she deserves.

Angel Reese wants her due respect if she has to play the villain

The rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark dates back to their NCAA National Championship Game from 2022, where Reese’s LSU Tigers edged out Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes. The game broke streaming records for the NCAA, and a rivalry was born.

But over the last two years, Clark has risen to superstardom, resulting in Reese’s role seemingly diminishing. And after the two recently faced off in their WNBA debut against each other, Reese had a lot to say about how she views it going forward. Speaking to ‘The Athletic’, the 23-year-old further added,

“People are talking about women’s basketball, you never would think they’d be talking about women’s basketball… We got celebrities coming to games and sold-out arenas just because of one single game. Just looking at that, I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role, and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates.”

The two rookies sure have an opportunity to etch their names in the league’s history. Considering their skillset, Clark and Reese are expected to have an awesome debut season. For now, both the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever continue to struggle as the WNBA season moves into full swing.