According to Angel Reese, there are other factors at play in the WNBA's recent surge in popularity than Caitlin Clark. “I think so many people are watching women’s basketball right now,” the Chicago Sky star told WGN News after practice Monday. She continued, “It all started from the national championship game, and I’ve been dealing with this for two years now, and understand that, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me. But honestly, I’ll take that because look where women’s basketball is.” The 22-year-old Reese claimed that more and more individuals "you never would think would be talking about women's basketball" are becoming aware of the league.
Angel Reese explains that it isn't just a singular individual driving the popularity the WNBA is receiving “People are pulling up to games. We’ve got celebrities coming to games [and] sold-out arenas just because of one single game,” she said. Rapper Latto notably showed up to support Angel Reese, and she received love from Megan Thee Stallion. The forward declared that if it means the WNBA will keep expanding, she is willing to take on the role of the villain. Overall, Angel Reese wants to make it clear that the players before her and her rookie class are the reason the WNBA is having a moment. While Clark is a big reason, she isn't the sole reason.
Angel Reese Says The WNBA is More Than One Person
Many took what Angel said and left out the part where she talked about everyone contributing, like Robert Griffin III. The analyst then corrected himself when shown the full clip. Angel Reese spoke about the impact that she will have down the line, affirming that she believes it's a collective effort to grow the game. She said, “I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me, too.’ And I want you to realize that.” She continued, “Like, it’s just not ’cause of one person. A lot of us have done so much for this game.”
Angel Reese and other players are being targeted for not ushering in a red carpet for Caitlin Clark. The discourse around Clark is getting into murky territory where pundits who never covered the WNBA are acting as if they are authorities. Overall, Angel Reese is right. Caitlin Clark is a big reason for the surge in popularity, but so are Angel Reese Cameron Brink, and a number of other rookies. Not to mention the superstars that have been dominating the league like Aja Wilson.
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