We hate to draw a parallel, but the WNBA’s version of the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry was supposed to headline the league this year. The schedule-makers clearly knew what they were doing, lining up five matchups between the Fever and Sky to feed the hype. But injuries hit, and what was meant to be a season-long rivalry got reduced to just the season opener. Still, if there’s one thing fans never run out of, it’s creativity. With the on-court drama cut short, they’ve found a new battleground for themselves.

Every move Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese make off the court has become fresh ink for a rivalry that simply refuses to fade away. Angel Reese just made history as the first professional athlete to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, while Caitlin Clark is set to return to the LPGA Tour’s Pelican Golf Club Pro-Am in Belleair, Florida, on November 12. Two stars, two completely different worlds, yet somehow, their paths keep crossing in this ever-growing, media-fueled rivalry.

Ros Gold-Onwude believes both players are simply focused on different paths. The Bayou Barbie, for one, isn’t too concerned about the attention Caitlin Clark draws from her on-court dominance. Instead, she’s busy building her brand and elevating it to heights no one in the WNBA has ever reached before. And according to WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, that’s perfectly fine. Both stars are being true to themselves. Speaking on the Good Follow podcast, Leslie said:

“I don’t think that it’s necessarily different. I think Caitlin is authentic to Caitlin. Caitlin is doing golfing — like that’s authentic to who she is, and she’s not trying to do something that she’s not. And I love that, because I think she’s an amazing golf player and now she’s going to have a chance to do some kind of pro-am tour thing.” It never mattered to Clark what people thought when she chose to focus on her body and spend time doing things she loved instead of joining Unrivaled like many of her colleagues last year.

Clark has always done what feels best for her and her body, and there’s a good chance she won’t be playing in any offseason basketball tournaments this year either. For Reese, however, the impact she’s made off the court is massive. Lisa further added, “So I think that she does what’s authentic to her, and Angel’s doing what she feels she wants to do. These are all different platforms where she’s like, ‘Oh, I can do that. Oh, and I can do that.’ And she has a desire to want to do these things. And I love that for both of them, actually.”

Reese became the first basketball player to join the host committee for the 2025 Met Gala, the fastest WNBA athlete to land a signature shoe, and has already appeared in a Netflix film. No one can possibly deny that her brand is second to none in the W. Both players have taken different paths off the court and found their own versions of success, and as Leslie reiterates, there’s no reason for fans to compare them.

That said, the Indiana superstar seems to have found another hobby besides golf to keep herself occupied this offseason.

Caitlin Clark finds a new hobby

Of course, everyone knows about Clark’s obsession with golf; she even once joked about becoming a professional golfer one day (well, at this point, it wouldn’t be wrong to call her one). But while she continues to follow a familiar offseason routine, attending NFL games and, soon enough, some college basketball matchups, Caitlin seems to have picked up a new hobby along the way.

In a YouTube video posted by guard Ariel Powers, she hyped Clark for her music taste and how she keeps the Fever locker room energized. Clark playfully responded, “Maybe that’s what I’ll do in the offseason, I’ll become a DJ.” “DJ Caitlin” does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Who knows, maybe we’ll get a “DJ Caitlin mix drop” sometime soon… though that might be a long shot!

This season was a rough ride for Clark. She managed to play just 13 games due to three separate injuries to her quadriceps and groin, forced to watch helplessly as her team fell to the eventual champions in Game 5 of the semifinals. Many (probably the Fever guard herself) can’t help but wonder how different things might have been if she’d been on the court. But the offseason offers a chance to reset, recover, and return stronger next season, whenever it tips off.