Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese: A look back at how the star rookies' paths have intersected throughout 2024

On March 17, the selection committee for the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament released its field of 68. Immediately, everyone's eyes were drawn to one thing: the chance of a rematch between Angel Reese's LSU Tigers and Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight. 

After some minor scares for both teams in the early rounds, the matchup everyone had been waiting for arrived. And so began a historic year in which the game's two most well-known, polarizing and entertaining players forever altered the women's basketball landscape.

Clark and Reese will meet for likely the final time in 2024 when the Indiana Fever travel to take on the Chicago Sky on Friday night. Ahead of action, here's how the two have intersected throughout the year.

April 1: A rematch in the Elite Eight

"I think overall it's just going to be a really great game for women's basketball," Clark said prior to the showdown between Iowa and LSU in Albany. 

How right she was.  

Iowa jumped ahead early behind some hot shooting, only for Reese to lead an LSU comeback with terrific play on both ends. Unfortunately, Reese then rolled her ankle and was not quite as effective the remainder of the game. The Hawkeyes took advantage and pulled away in the second half thanks to a series of ridiculous 3-pointers from Clark. 

The all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history finished with 41 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists, and broke the all-time 3-point record and NCAA Tournament assist record in the process. In defeat, Reese went for 17 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks, but shot just 7-of-21 from the field. 

"I think it's just great for the sport, just being able to be a part of history. Like I said, no matter which way it went tonight, I know this was going to be a night for the ages," said Reese, who fouled out in the closing minutes. "And just being able to be a part of history is great. Playing against another great player, of course, is always amazing."

"I can't describe to you how good it is right now in women's basketball," LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. That's why I wished this game could have been at the Final Four. Wow. Sure was good for an Elite Eight game. We're proud to be a part of that."

The game averaged a staggering 12.3 million viewers, and peaked at 16.6 million, setting what was then a new record for the most-watched women's college basketball game ever. 

April 15: Draft night

Two weeks after Iowa beat LSU, and just a week after the Hawkeyes lost to South Carolina in the national championship game, Clark, Reese and the rest of their hyped draft class was in New York City for the 2024 WNBA Draft. Though not an on-court meeting, the big night was yet another indication of how these two stars were changing the game. 

The WNBA allowed fans to attend the draft for the first time since 2016, and tickets sold out immediately. In the Midwest, the Indiana Fever held a draft watch party that brought thousands to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Across the country, a record 2.45 million people tuned in to the broadcast, an increase of 307% from the 2023 draft. 

As expected, Clark went No. 1 overall to the Fever, while Reese fell to the Sky at No. 7. At long last, their professional careers were underway. 

June 1: The first WNBA meeting

Less than a month into their respective rookie seasons, Clark and Reese were back on the court together for a national TV matinee, and a sell-out crowd of 17,274 was on hand at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Pre-game, it was nothing but respect between the two. 

"The thing about [Angel] is she's been so dominant in whatever she does since we played in high school," Clark said. "I vividly remember we played at Boo Williams, must have been a sophomore probably at the time, and we just got killed on the glass, and that just hasn't changed. She's always had a knack for being able to rebound the ball, and that's translated immediately to the WNBA. She's so good at reading the ball off the glass, and going and getting it, and getting extra possessions for her team. Those are the little things that help your team win... I have a lot of respect for her." 

Once the game started, not so much. 

Late in the third quarter of the tight contest, Chennedy Carter decked Clark with a shoulder barge, and Reese, who was on the bench at the time, stood up to applaud her teammate. In the end, Clark got the last laugh. She finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists, as the Fever held on for a 71-70 win. 

"I wasn't expecting that," Clark said of Carter's foul, which overshadowed her first game against Reese and was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1. "But I think it's just like, 'Respond, calm down and let your play do the talking.'"

June 16: Clark takes another flagrant foul, has near triple-double

Two weeks after the Fever's contentious win, the two teams were back in Indy in front of another full house. Once again, a hard foul on Clark made headlines. And, once again, the top pick led her team to victory, this time with her best game to date as a pro. 

Late in the third quarter, Clark drove to the basket and looked for a scoop layup under the defense. Reese arrived to try and block that attempt, but instead smacked her rival on the side of the head. Though unintentional, the unnecessary contact to the head led to a Flagrant 1 foul for Reese. 

Clark shook it off and put together a brilliant fourth quarter to help the Fever pull away down the stretch. She finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists on 7-of-11 shooting. Reese, in defeat, had 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for yet another double-double. 

Reese, for her part, was not pleased after the game, and called out the referees. 

"I can't control the refs," Reese said. "They affected the game a lot tonight. ... I'm always going for the ball. But y'all going to play that clip 20 times before Monday.

"I think we went up really strong a lot of times and we didn't get a lot of calls. And going back and looking at the film, I've seen a lot of calls that weren't made. I guess some people got a special whistle."

Clark downplayed the incident. 

"What's going through my mind is, I need to make these two free throws," Clark said. "That's all I'm thinking about. Just a part of basketball. It is what it is. [Reese was] just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block."

The game, which was broadcast by CBS, averaged 2.25 million viewers, and peaked at nearly three million, which made it the most-watched WNBA game to that point in 23 years. 

June 23: Reese gets revenge in thriller

For the third time in three weeks in June, the Fever and Sky were set to go at it. This time, Wintrust Arena in Chicago was the setting, and there was not an empty seat in the place. Per Vivid Seats, the average ticket price was a steep $351. The boistrous crowd was ready to do its part to boost the Sky to a much-needed win. 

After a competitive start, Clark, who went for 17 points and 13 assists to set what was then the Fever's single-game assist record, started to run the show. The Fever built a 15-point lead in the second half that had the Sky faithful sitting in silence. 

Slowly but surely, though, the Sky chipped away. Then, Reese took over. She scored seven points in a four-minute span, including an and-one to tie the game and a go-ahead layup with 57 seconds left. The Sky hung on for an 88-87 win, and Reese finished with a career-high 25 points and 16 rebounds to become the first rookie since A'ja Wilson in 2018 to have a 25/15 game. 

"I mean, of course it's good for the game," Reese said about the continued excitement surrounding her and Clark. "Good for women's basketball, but also good for women's sports. You see NBA players, rappers, legends that played in the league for long time, come out and stand and show support. Everybody's watching right now. 

"I think this is one of the most important times right now. We just continue to keep putting on. I think both teams did an amazing job putting on a show. And it was fun. I had a great time. I'm sure the other team had a great time. So I'm just happy we won tonight."

July 20: Teammates at last

Clark and Reese first started playing against each other on the AAU circuit as teenagers. From there, they dueled in the Big Ten during Reese's stint at Maryland, and later in the NCAA Tournament, before taking their battles to the professional level. 

In all that time, they were never on the same team. That changed when they were both selected for Team WNBA in the 2024 All-Star Game. It was the first time since 2014 that two rookies earned that honor in the same season. 

"I think both of us would probably tell you our focus is on playing basketball, and if that works out for the both of us, great, that would be a lot of fun -- we've never played together," Clark said ahead of the team selection. "She's had a tremendous season, and if that was to happen, I'm sure people would love it."

Reese echoed those thoughts, saying it would be a "really cool" experience. "I know so many fans are gonna come out to watch both of us," Reese said. "I know a lot of people are just gonna come to Phoenix, I'm sure it's already sold out. Being able to be in that environment, we're gonna be playing together for a while so this is not gonna be the [last] time. I know we'll be All-Stars again, and hopefully, 2028 we'll be Olympians together."

As per usual, the duo lived up to the tremendous expectations. Together, they helped Team WNBA pull off an upset win over the eventual Olympic champions. Clark had 10 assists to set the rookie All-Star record and Reese added 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench to become the first rookie with a double-double in the showcase. 

Late in the fourth quarter, they connected for a beautiful fastbreak layup, the moment everyone had been waiting to see. 

"I know that bucket went viral, I haven't checked my phone yet, [but] my phone's blowing up," Reese said. "[Clark] even said on the bench, 'You know how many people are happy right now?' I was like, man, I already know. I'm already knowing, so I'm gonna go see that video everywhere."

The ratings for the event told a familiar story: 3.44 million viewers, more than two million more than the previous high back in 2003. Team USA's presence and the upcoming Olympics certainly helped, but Clark and Reese were the main attraction. 

"I'm always impressed by the two of them," said former MVP and current WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike. "It was also really fun to see them playing together tonight. They had some synergy. And the maturity that they have going in, not even just being here at All-Star, but managing all of the influx that they get as the two rookies that are really getting a lot of attention.

"And then, of course, being celebrated, too. I would like to think that they had fun today, and I think that's the main goal, especially for first-time All-Stars, is to enjoy the experience. And they helped us win too."