It has become impossible to separate Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s careers from each other, especially with the media hell bent on pitting them against each other. To be fair, the two superstars’ basketball journeys intertwined in college and they have sort of run parallel since. But does that truly make then rivals? Although the general public thinks so, one WNBA legend doesn’t view their dynamic in the same light.
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Before Reese turned heads and dominated in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, another forward blazed the trail. Sylvia Fowles elevated the LSU Tigers to one of the best teams in the nation during her four years at the school.
In those seasons, she racked up quite the treasure trove of accomplishments. AP All-America First Teams, NCAA All-Tourney Teams and numerous defensive acknowledgements to name a few. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to achieve the ultimate goal for any college athlete, which Reese was able to do.
Reese’s historic 2022-23 season led the Tigers to the first National Championship in program history. That championship victory came against none other than Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Their careers had already become extremely microscopic by that point, which has made them both stars but it has create a wild, almost weird obsession of comparing them to each other, especially since they are both very different players.
But every time Clarks’ Indiana Fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky match up, it’s must-see television. But for Fowles, it’s just another game featuring two great players.
“I won’t call it a rivalry,” Fowles said in an exclusive interview with The SportsRush’s Adit Pujari. “I think that sounds good for the media. They’re phenomenal players who do two totally different things.”
Typically, rivalries consist of players who play relatively in the same position. Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, and even Sylvia Fowles and Candace Parker. However, Clark and Reese play positions that are polar opposites of each other.
Clark is an offensive hub similar to a player such as James Harden and Trae Young. As long as she is on the court, she can create offensive looks for herself and others. Reese, on the other hand, creates plays when it seems there are none through her extraordinary rebounding.
“They’re both great in their role,” Fowles said, noting,“But if it’s going to cause us to have more attention and more media, then I’m all for it”
Clark and Reese have individually increased the popularity of the WNBA, but their rivalry has done the same thing. Above all else, Fowles is a fan of women’s basketball growing. If a rivalry between Clark and Reese is the way to go, then so be it. As long as the two are okay with leaning into that role.
“You really can’t compare the two. But if they want to soak it up and give us more airtime, then continue to do so,” Fowles said.
Both Reese and Clark have plenty of years ahead of them before reaching the legacy of a player such as Fowles. If their first two WNBA seasons are an indicator of their future, they’ll be among the greats sooner than expected.
