Rookies Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky will soon be teammates as they are both a member of the 12-player WNBA All-Star roster that will face the US women’s national basketball team in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.
Reese seemed thrilled about the chance to play alongside the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, despite the animosity between the two rookies that goes back to their college days.
“I’m sure it’s already sold out. Being in that environment is exciting, especially since we’ll be playing together for a while. This won’t be the last time… hopefully, we’ll be Olympians together in 2028. I’m going to Paris to watch the Olympics, and I’m excited about that too,” Reese added.
Clark’s exclusion from Team USA’s roster has caused quite a stir and sparked many debates. However, in the upcoming All-Star Game, she will have the chance to prove why she should have been included in the squad heading to Paris. Angel Reese will also have the same opportunity.
Reese and Clark have significantly contributed to the rising popularity of not only the WNBA but women’s basketball overall. However, the Fever guard emphasized that she doesn’t want all the attention solely on her and Reese.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been her teammate before, even at USA Basketball. I know people will be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t overshadow everyone else,” Clark said earlier this month, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
“This is a huge accomplishment for everyone on Team USA and Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise. I don’t want this to detract from that and become the focal point of All-Star weekend because that’s not fair to them,” Clark added.
Reese has made it to the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game after receiving the fifth-most votes, totaling 381,518. Clark, on the other hand, unsurprisingly received the most votes with 700,735.
So far in the 2024 WNBA regular season, Reese leads the league in rebounds with 11.9 per game, along with averages of 14.0 points and 1.6 steals per contest. She has been a double-double machine for the Sky, who have won three of their last four games, including a 78-69 victory at home over the Atlanta Dream, where Reese scored 11 points and grabbed 13 boards.
As for Clark, she is averaging 16.7 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Angel Reese, WNBA All-Stars to put US women’s basketball team to test
The WNBA All-Star Game in 2024 is scheduled for July 20 in Phoenix.
Other players on the WNBA All-Star roster include Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx, Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings, Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm, DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones of the Connecticut Sun, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell of the Fever, Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream, Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks, Jonquel Jones of the New York Liberty, and Kayla Bonner and Brionna Jones of the Connecticut Sun.