Magic Johnson in AWE of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s rivalry, says will transform WNBA

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have been breaking WNBA records with their rivalry.

Magic Johnson in AWE of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s rivalry, says will transform WNBA

Magic Johnson in AWE of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's rivalry, says it is similar to his rivalry with Larry Bird and will transform WNBA

Caitlin Clark might not consider it a rivalry, but how the basketball world reacts to her matchup with Angel Reese proves otherwise. Breaking viewership records, setting ticket price records, sellout arenas etc. all point to an obvious rivalry. This rivalry has NBA legend Magic Johnson in awe and thinks it will have the same impact on the WNBA as when it was between him and Larry Bird.

After watching yesterday’s matchup between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the Hall of Famer took to his official X account to give his thoughts. After initially being awed by the performance, he had quite a few words to write.

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When I think about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s impact on the game, they remind me a lot of Larry Bird and me. Larry and I heightened the NBA’s overall popularity...The higher viewership numbers led to the NBA signing significantly larger TV contracts which then led to higher salaries for the players. Caitlin and Angel are now doing the same thing, selling out arenas and increasing the viewership.
Magic Johnson on X

Who better than the 5-time Champion to suggest that he is seeing history repeat itself. He feels the WNBA will see the same rise how the NBA did because of his duels with Larry Bird back in the 80’s. Magic Johnson pointed to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s NCAA Elite Eight matchup, which set viewership records. He felt it was similar to what transpired when he and Bird met in the NCAA Tournament. Their rivalry continued in the NBA and brought in massive viewership which in return led to major TV deals.

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He feels with the WNBA about to negotiate a new TV deal, this increased viewership will help the league earn more money. Which in turn will help increase the income of the players.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s rivalry will benefit all players

Other than their rivalry, the focal point amongst the WNBA fraternity was that they were not appreciative of Caitlin Clark earning millions off endorsement deals, whereas they were dominating the league for chump change. However, she chose to stay quiet on these matters and focus on basketball.

Improvement to her game and that of her team has brought them to fight for wins. That has helped to continue the rivalry between her and Angel Reese. No doubt this rivalry will put them into the spotlight. However, the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky and all the players are benefitting from this. Their social media following, viewership, the very mention of their names amongst the fans and media etc. All of these factors are bringing in new levels of fame.

Fame that is spreading to other players in the WNBA. This is the level of transformation the duo is bringing. No wonder Magic Johnson feels that the league as a whole is about to benefit.

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