Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese made their professional debut in the WNBA preseason games, with Clark playing for the Indiana Fever and Reese playing for the Chicago Sky. Both players were standout college stars, with Clark breaking the NCAA Division I scoring record and Reese winning a championship in 2023. The Chicago Sky, who drafted Reese with the seventh pick, are hoping that the addition of rookies like Reese and Kamilla Cardoso will help turn their team around. Cardoso’s coach Dawn Staley credited Clark for the recent growth in viewership in women’s basketball, calling her the “greatest of her time.”
The WNBA preseason games were streamed for free on the WNBA app, with Clark’s Indiana Fever taking on the Dallas Wings and Reese’s Chicago Sky playing the Minnesota Lynx. The Wings had announced that tickets to their game in Arlington had sold out, showing the increasing popularity of women’s basketball. Clark, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, will be playing alongside last year’s top draft pick Aaliyah Boston, who was the unanimous rookie of the year. The Fever and the Sky are both looking to improve their standings in the upcoming WNBA regular season.
Rookie players like Reese and Cardoso are bringing renewed excitement to the WNBA, with fans eagerly watching to see how they will perform at the professional level. Clark and Reese have already proven themselves as top players in college, and now they are ready to make their mark in the WNBA. The preseason games are a preview of what fans can expect in the regular season, with teams like the Fever and the Sky hoping to make a statement and improve their rankings.
The WNBA preseason will continue until the regular season tip-off on May 14th, giving teams like the Fever and the Sky time to fine-tune their rosters and strategies. With the addition of talented rookies like Clark, Reese, and Cardoso, the WNBA is poised for an exciting season ahead. The growing popularity of women’s basketball is evident in the increasing viewership numbers and sold-out games, and players like Clark are being credited for driving this recent growth. As the regular season approaches, fans are eager to see how these talented rookies will perform and how their presence will impact the league as a whole.
