By MICHAEL MAROT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Year 1 of the Clark & Reese Show has been unlike anything the WNBA has ever seen.
Sure, this season’s final chapter is still unscripted with the playoffs set to start Sunday. But the rookie seasons and attention Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have had makes the league’s outlook extremely bright beyond this postseason.
Sold out arenas became the norm. Soaring television ratings helped expand the fan base. Clark, Reese, the presumptive league MVP A’ja Wilson and others continually chased record-breaking statistics. And routine conversations and social media posts spurred sometimes heated debates about everything from basketball to culture.
“Watching the basketball that’s been played this season and the talent that’s been on the floor across the league, it’s been phenomenal,” Chicago Sky veteran Lindsay Allen said. “The two rookies, Caitlin and Angel — Angel has been huge for us and has been setting records. The basketball has been at a very, very high level and the interest has been, too.”
It’s impossible to ignore how much the sport has evolved since Clark, Reese and arguably the best rookie class in league history arrived in April. The timing for the league was perfect, too.
Clark and Reese brought the swagger, confidence and passion they exuded in a rivalry that captivated college basketball fans. That momentum continued into the pros and has elevated the profile of everyone around the league.
And as much as everyone attempted to manage the lofty expectations, Clark and Reese, in particular, exceeded them.
The Indiana Fever guard’s resume includes rookie records for scoring (761), 3-pointers (120) and All-Star Game assists (10). She broke the league’s single-game (19) and single-season records for assists (329) while becoming the first rookie to ever post a triple-double. Now, she believes a title run is possible in the playoffs.
“Once we get there, I think it’ll feel a little more real and, obviously, we’re not just happy to be there,” said Clark, who helped Indiana end the second-longest playoff drought in league history at seven years. “We really believe we can compete with every single team that’s going to be in the playoffs. Obviously, the only team we didn’t beat this year was the (Las Vegas) Aces and the only way we would see them, I think, would be in the Finals.”
Reese was equally efficient, perhaps more proficient, in her impressive season.
The Chicago rookie forward established new league marks for single-season rebounds (446), offensive rebounds (172) and overall rebounding average (13.1). Though Reese didn’t hold the single-season rebound record long because Wilson broke it while Reese was sidelined with a season-ending injury.
Reese did become the first rookie with an All-Star Game double-double, and she became the first WNBA player to record back-to-back games of 20 or more rebounds while her 24 double-doubles broke the league’s rookie record.
The only real disappointment has been the wrist injury that ended Reese’s season after 34 games, an absence that could keep the Sky out of the playoffs and possibly throw a wrench into Reese’s Rookie of the Year hopes.
The Clark-Reese dynamic continues to fuel debates among fans — similar to the barbershop discussions about Larry Bird-Magic Johnson in 1980 when they each played leading roles as rookies.
Their polarizing personas put Clark & Reese squarely in the middle of discussions about everything from hard fouls to technical fouls, even cultural issues — including sexuality and race.
But there’s no doubt that their presence — and their rivalry — opened the door to more endorsements and more fan engagement, including children who increasingly showed up in the players’ jerseys long before tip-off.
From the corn maze featuring Clark in northwestern Indiana to Reese’s presence on a large electronic billboard in Chicago to promote blue jeans or the tears of joy streaming down the cheeks of Wilson and her teammates when she broke the league’s single-season scoring record at Indiana, everyone seems to have a favorite moment.
“I’ve been in this league long enough to play alongside some amazing players, Hall of Fame players and this one is no different,” Aces forward Alysha Clark said, wiping her eyes while sitting next to Wilson. “When you have players of this caliber playing now, appreciate that because one day she’s not going to be here. She’s going to retire and go on to live her life and people are going to marvel at what she’s done and I’m like, ‘Marvel at it now.’”
Fans of Clark and Reese share similar sentiments about the two 22-year-olds who seem destined to be the face of the league for years to come and cornerstone pieces on the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team.
But it’s not just a bright future for the rookies, it’s also a bright future in a league that has seen ticket demand and visibility soar while playing in front of packed arenas.
“We’ve seen just a huge amount of people talking about the WNBA, talking about the Fever,” said Indiana guard Lexie Hull. “I think a lot of that comes from people being invested in the college game and then coming over, following the players they like, following the ’W” and it’s pretty incredible.”
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AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago also contributed to this report.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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