With compelling storylines to keep fans hooked to the games, this year’s WNBA is really blowing off the charts and how! As we step into the second weekend of the regular season, seems like neither the league officials nor the fans have gotten over the season opener between Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. As the game on May 17, 2025, unfurled into an uneventful incident, it led to a series of never-ending trouble for the two parties involved, namely Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. With more speculated issues outside the hardwood and in the online space, how will the league put an end to all the drama?

“Let’s not make it something that it’s not. It was just a good play on the basketball,” Clark told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after receiving a flagrant foul. And while Clark and Reese have strictly maintained that the rivalry is on the hardwood, affirming that they are just two powerful women professionally, the latest incident smells otherwise. At least for the fans. “I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. It’s a take foul to put them at the free-throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”

Meanwhile, national reporter, Cassandra Negley, revealed a fresh perspective in the Clark-Reese rivalry on the latest episode of Locked On: Women’s Basketball podcast. Talking about the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky’s face off in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse arena, Negley repeats the events of the game that led to the scuffle. Step by step. She aptly pointed how Reese was the first one to push Natasha Howard under the basket before the infamous scuffle. As one of the spectators present in the arena that day, Negley even revealed that Reese did not listen to the referees and continued flouting rules, visibly ignoring constant whistles from the officials.

“Angel Reese had pushed Natasha Howard under the basket, got the rebound, and in the moment- sitting there in the arena, it was like, ‘Wait! Why did play stop? But Angel’s still moving” the reporter began. “And Angel’s just playing through, not hearing a whistle.” But this was not it. While an unbothered Reese continued to play, taking a rebound from Rebecca Allen in hopes of capitalizing the shot from the rim, her karma in Clark hits her back as she falls out of bounds. And while she immediately stands up to talk to Clark, Aliyah Boston along with other Sky players come block the players as an unfazed Clark walks off the scene.

Caitlin reaches in for the ball, taps it away, Angel falls. Angel immediately gets up and goes to talk to Caitlin. There’s a scuffle. A scuffle by the way that we’ve seen like a bunch of times this week,” Cassandra adds. Despite a similar scuffle being witnessed in other games, what makes the Clark-Reese incident so special? While Caitlin tried to avoid the aftermath of the incident, Reese could not stop herself from getting triggered. But before her reaction can reach the designated party, her own teammates physically block the space between the players. Though Angel Reese had maintained the dynamic as, “Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that,” the recent flagrant foul seemingly wasn’t the only trigger for the Sky guard.

Addressing the very trigger that resulted in what can be referred to as a 19-minute reaction from Reese, the national reporter hints at the bigger picture that is causing the issue. Cassandra referred to the rivalry snowballing online, before the league officials had to step into the matter and said that it is the competitive “rivalry” title over the years as well as the fan bases that affect the intensity of the dynamics between the teams and the players.

“If your team is getting blown out by a team that, whether you believe it or not, or your fans or like there’s all this discussion about if they are your rival. And you’re getting blown out by that, you’re going to be angry. Which probably prompted the scuffle,” she remarked. With fans and the competitive title being the biggest underlying issue leading to Reese’s reaction, how can the players refrain from a mindset where they are required to better than the counterpart that they have constantly been compared with? Since their college days!

Given the history of the two players, Cassandra was of the view that there is no need to remain competitive on the court as well as online. And even if the players wish to remain competitive, it should be restricted to the court and reflect in their performances instead of using a negative outburst as a reaction. “But also I think you don’t have to be competitive all the time to sustain a rivalry. And if we’re making the argument that this has been a rivalry since the teams came into the league because of their proximity, because of history, they’ve had maybe just like one great postseason series. It doesn’t have to be competitive right now in this moment,” and boy is she right! Not only will this avoid scuffle, but lead to a healthy game between the two teams.

With one game already done and dusted with, Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky will be locking horns for at least four more times this season. These matchups are a part of the five-game series between the two so-called rival teams. So, grab your popcorn and get your tickets in advance, because the show has just begun. With a large online spat between the Clark-Reese fan bases of the respective players, it will only be a joyride hence forth. Or a much nastier one? Guess we’ll have to wait and watch.

Caitlin Clark’s Record Comes to an End

In the eventful match against the most dominant team of the season, Atlanta Dream, seems like Caitlin Clark‘s hopes have gone down the drain. Known for making several records during her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, Clark’s 140-match record came to a sudden stop. The streak that began during her collegiate years with the NCAA, saw a drastic end in her sophomore run with the Indiana Fever on May 22, 2025.

As the Fever suffered a narrow 81–76 defeat at the behest of Atlanta Dream, Clark failed to score a three during the entire match. ESPN W official website broke the news on Instagram with a caption that read, “Caitlin Clark’s incredible streak of 140 straight games with a made three, including NCAA and WNBA, came to an end vs. the Atlanta Dream.” While Clark’s streak of a three-pointer in 140 games spanned over 1,225 days, her streak came to a halt three years ago when the Fever faced Purdue Boilermakers Women’s Basketball team on January 22, 2022.

Despite the major record coming to an end, is this an indication of her breaking other major records in the league? Not to forget that with 25 points and 10 assists in one game, Clark surpassed New York Liberty veteran, Sabrina Ionescu’s record to become the most points and assists in WNBA history. As a powerhouse of women’s basketball, this is just the beginning of Clark’s marvelous journey this year. And it will be exciting how the player shapes up in her second year as a pro.