The ongoing NCAA tournament reached a new high as last year’s finalists, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, faced off in the Elite Eight. The hype around the matchup excited the basketball community with Shannon Sharpe being the latest inclusion. Amidst the anticipation, the sports analyst shared his views while drawing comparisons with the iconic rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
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In the latest episode of Nightcap, Sharpe expressed his perspective during a discussion with Chad Johnson. Highlighting the cultural impact of the college basketball game, the 55-year-old mentioned,
“You had one segment pulling for Bird we know the other segment that was pulling for Magic and this is a very similar situation where you got Caitlin Clark and you got Angel Reese…That’s just the way it is”.
Interestingly, the words of his co-panelist added volume to his beliefs. Johnson admitted to following the NCAA tournament only to witness the endeavors of LSU Tigers’ Reese. Soon, he praised the gameplay of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ Clark, showcasing the intensity of the rivalry.
Hours after the statements, the players lived up to the hype as the Hawkeyes secured a thrilling 94-87 victory. As per Marca, Clark led the victors from the front with a double-double of 41 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds. Reese also made the headlines but for unprecedented reasons as she fouled out of the game with 1:45 minutes left to play. In the process, her stat line of 17 points, and 20 assists failed to aid the defending champions as her nemesis entered the Final Four.
The dramatic knockout game justified the interest in their face-off. This last time around, Clark had the upper hand while Reese could look for revenge after entering the WNBA in the future. Hence, the stage is undoubtedly set for them to sustain a Magic-Bird caliber rivalry for the years to come.
Skip Bayless amplified the words of Shannon Sharpe
Ahead of Sharpe, Skip Bayless endorsed the narrative during the LSU Tigers’ championship run last year. In April 2023, he openly drew parallels between Clark and Bird. During an episode of UNDISPUTED, the 72-year-old called the women’s college basketball star “a miniature Larry Bird”. He highlighted the similarities in their attitudes while supporting the ongoing narrative.
Days later, the sports analyst took matters a step forward by outlining the similarities between Johnson and Reese. In an episode of The Skip Bayless Show, he mentioned, “What immediately captivated me about Angel was what got me early on about Magic. She just plays the game so passionately”.
The comparisons thus look set to continue in the future. After all, the hype around the rivalry carries the potential to disrupt the league. Hence, what Magic-Bird turned out to be for the NBA in the 1980s, Clark-Reese could prove to be precisely that for WNBA in the late 2020s and 2030s.
