At WNBA All-Star Game, longtime rivals Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are on same side

Hall of Famer and all-star coach Cheryl Miller soon stood in the middle of the floor doling out cash to Reese and Arike Ogunbowale, who also made her half-court heave.

“I’m about my money,” Reese said with a laugh. “I’m going to shop when I get to Paris, so I need Paris money.”

Reese is going to the Olympics but only to watch, so she and Clark will be teammates for the first time in Saturday’s All-Star Game, which pits the WNBA team against the U.S. Olympic squad. The much-discussed rivalry between the two goes back to the 2023 NCAA championship game, in which Reese and LSU were crowned champs and she made the you-can’t-see-me hand gesture that Clark has used herself.

The two will be forever connected. Clark was the No. 1 overall pick after becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, and Reese was selected seventh. The two are the front-runners for WNBA rookie of the year, and fans have sold out arenas around the league to see them. Reese set the WNBA record with 15 consecutive double-doubles, and Clark broke the WNBA record with 19 assists in the final game before the all-star break.

“That’s what everybody wants to see,” Reese said of the two playing together. “We got a little pick and roll, obviously, in practice today. It’s going to be really cool playing with each other.

“I know y’all have been seeing the get-along shirts. … Everybody can really wear their get-along shirts together, for one day at least.”

Clark added: “Obviously as two rookies, getting to share this experience for the first time, it’s super rare to be here as a rookie. And to have two of us here, it’s just really great overall.”

The duo have drawn so much attention that the league adjusted its media rules. On the day of games, players were required to be available to the media after shoot-around, before the game and after it. The new rules allow teams to designate two players not to be required to speak after shoot-around.

Even at Friday’s post-practice media sessions, Clark and Reese began later than the rest of the team to accommodate the throng of people — at least four deep — that surrounded them.

“I can only assume what it’s like to be that young and have that much attention and that much criticism,” Nneka Ogwumike said. “To be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it. Those are two very different people, and they’re handling it in the best way that they know how but still representing the league and also themselves in ways that continue to help grow the game.”

Said ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson: “They have really entered into new territory where not just sports fans are interested in Angel and Caitlin but they’re household names. So I’ve enjoyed watching them really take the league to new heights, both with their play on the court and who they are as people.”

Clark is averaging 17.1 points (13th in the WNBA), a league-best 8.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds (19th). She also posted the first triple-double by a rookie in league history. Reese has averaged a double-double with 13.5 points (24th) and 11.9 rebounds (second). Both the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky are in playoff position despite low expectations for the season.

“I love and appreciate the rivalry,” Miller said. “I love what they’ve done for the women’s game from the collegiate level to now. And it’s working. And it was only a matter of time. Great narratives, great storylines.

“But now the bottom line comes down to one thing: It’s about basketball, and it’s about wins. And both these young ladies and their teams, people don’t want to face them down the stretch because now it’s starting to click.”

Reese added: “It’s a blessing. I never thought I would be a rookie all-star. I never thought I would be in this moment.”

Both will get a well-deserved break after the All-Star Game following a busy two years. They both played in the final college game of the year in 2023 and met again in the Elite Eight this past season, with Clark and Iowa going all the way to the championship game. A week later, they were drafted, and training camps began 13 days after that.

Not making the Olympic team was a disappointment for Clark, but there’s a silver lining.

“Getting this break is going to be very beneficial for myself and something that I deserve,” Clark said. “There has to be a point where that has to stop and you have to take care of yourself and do things for yourself, and maybe some of those decisions at times can be hard. And you want to give the world and everybody watching what they want, too, and help this game get better and better. But relaxing and reflecting on everything that’s happened to me over the course of the last year will be super important because my life has moved so fast.

“Sure, I’m tired, but at the same time there’s so many people that would kill to be in my shoes and so many people that are going through so much worse in their lives.”