Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Each Set Records in Sunday Games

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark prepares a technical foul shot against the Phoenix Mercury during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Phoenix on June 30, 2024. Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo

Basketball rivalries that start in college and then carry over into the professional ranks are surprisingly rare in the history of the sport. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are an obvious example after they met in the 1979 NCAA National Championship Game and then three more times in the NBA Finals.

Another is Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, as the two centers faced each other in the 1984 National Title Game before meeting in the NBA Finals exactly a decade later.

But with the rise of players either jumping straight from high school to pro ranks or being part of the one-and-done era in college basketball, many basketball rivalries now originate in the NBA.

However, on the women’s side, players routinely play in college for multiple years, which allows for rivalries to bloom as amateurs. The most prominent example in today’s game is between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

They met in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years and have already been a part of noteworthy games in their brief pro careers. The two may end up inextricably linked once it’s all said and done, and both can point to Sunday, June 30, as a day in which they etched their names into the record books—in different ways.

Reese and her Chicago Sky hosted the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. And while the Sky suffered defeat, 70-62, Reese displayed why she was such a dominant college player and has the potential to be the same in the WNBA.

The rookie posted 10 points with 16 rebounds, securing a double-double for the 10th consecutive game. That moves her into sole possession for the longest double-double streak in the 28-year history of the WNBA—not just for rookies but for all players. Reese, whose 27 double-doubles last season with LSU were the second-most in Division I, moved out of a tie with Candace Parker, who had a nine-game streak back in 2015.

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who herself set several WNBA records as a player en route to being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, was asked postgame what Reese’s accomplishment meant to her personally and the team.

“Just proud of her, proud of what she does. I’m sure she’ll say the win [would’ve been] more important,” stated Weatherspoon. “She’s going to continue to do what she does. It’s who she is. She’s always going to come out and play hard and confident, and give you everything she has. She’s the hardest person on herself. So proud of what she’s doing and what will continue to do.”

Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky drives with the basketball in the first half against NaLyssa Smith #1 of the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on June 23, 2024. Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Not to be outdone, Clark notched her own impressive achievement when she and the Indiana Fever visited the Phoenix Mercury. The number one overall pick tallied 15 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds, finishing just one board shy of not only her first pro triple-double but also a rebound short of becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double.

Still though, Clark did set a record as with her third assist of the game—she set the Fever’s rookie record for assists in a single-season. She managed to do so in just her 20th game of the season, which is the exact midpoint of the 40-game WNBA schedule. Also, unlike Reese’s record, Clark’s came in a victory as the Fever prevailed 88-82.

Through 20 games, Clark now has 138 assists, putting her on pace to finish with 276 helpers. That would not only obliterate the Fever’s all-time single-season record of 201 assists, set by Erica Wheeler last season, but it would also smash the WNBA’s single-season mark for rookie assists, which is 225 by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998.

Both Reese and Clark have been as good and productive as advertised since joining the WNBA, and they both find their names at or near the top of several statistical leaderboards.

Just as Reese’s latest double-double moved her out of a tie with a two-time MVP in Parker, the number of rebounds she grabbed in the game also moved her out of a tie with yet another two-time MVP in A’ja Wilson.

Reese entered Sunday’s loss tied with Wilson atop the WNBA rebounding leaderboard at 11.1, but the rookie’s average jumps to 11.4, making her the league’s leading rebounder in terms of both average and total rebounds.

As for Clark, her being the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader generated the most headlines in college but she also led the nation in assists in each of her final three seasons.

Those playmaking skills have been on full display with the Fever, as her Sunday game moved her past Sabrina Ionescu to now rank third in the league with an average of 6.9 per game.

As the college game’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers as well, it shouldn’t be a surprise that her proficiency beyond the arc has continued in Indiana as the top-drafted rookie drained two more shots from downtown on Sunday to give her 56 on the season, which is tied with Arike Ogunbowale for the most in the league.