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 league gave us five Fever vs Sky games on the schedule, and it was clear they were betting on Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to smash numbers again. Sadly, injuries showed up early, and what was supposed to be a year-long rivalry ended up peaking on opening night itself.

And it looks like the W is not taking that gamble anymore. The focus has clearly shifted. That is exactly what analyst Rachel DeMita pointed out in the latest episode of Courtside Club.

“The WNBA finally released their schedule for the 2026 season, and they posted this press release. It says: ‘WNBA slated to tip off 30th season Friday, May 8th. Toronto Tempo makes franchise debut on May 8th. Portland Fire opens season and returns to WNBA on May 9th. And May 9th includes defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces Finals rematch vs. Phoenix and Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever hosting Paige Beckers and the Dallas Wings,” DeMita said.

She continued, “And in this whole press release, there were only two players mentioned, and that was Caitlin Clark and Paige Beckers. And what I’ve noticed throughout this whole schedule release is that it feels like the Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky rivalry is finally dead. It was pretty much dead on arrival last year, but they had them play each other like five or six times. But this year, the Indiana Fever is only playing the Chicago Sky three times. And now it seems like the WNBA has moved on, and they are definitely pumping up this Caitlin Clark vs Paige Beckers rivalry.”

For the W, pitting Caitlin Clark against Angel Reese has always been a no-brainer. Their rivalry turned into must-watch TV, dating back to that 2024 NCAA Tournament showdown that pulled 12.3 million viewers. Fast forward to their freshman season: one of their matchups in June 2024 drew 2.25 million viewers on a Sunday afternoon on CBS, then jumped to 2.7 million on ESPN during last season’s opener. When these two share the floor, the numbers handle the talking.

But last season, we saw a seismic shift. Caitlin Clark played only 13 games, and Angel Reese missed 14 with back issues. Even though the Fever and Sky faced off five times, we only saw Clark vs Reese once. That game had its own off-court drama too, with a heated confrontation after a foul and accusations of racial chants aimed at Reese. The league later denied those claims after a full investigation.

But even with the Sky falling off and Caitlin Clark not playing, the W still broke attendance and viewership records. The addition of the Golden State Valkyries, along with a strong rookie class headlined by Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen, played a major role in that jump.

Paige winning Rookie of the Year sets the table perfectly. Now we get the last two No. 1 picks and back-to-back Rookie of the Years facing each other, and that is something W fans can get behind if they care about quality basketball. We have said it countless times — the Angel Reese vs Caitlin Clark rivalry always felt forced. They were never the same type of players and their roles were completely different. But with Paige and Caitlin, even though their playing styles contrast, they are still the floor generals of their teams.

While the community waits for that matchup to finally happen, Caitlin Clark just celebrated her 24th birthday, and her boyfriend had a special message for her.

Connor McCaffery has a special birthday message for Caitlin Clark

This offseason, we have seen Caitlin Clark at multiple Butler games supporting her boyfriend, who is an assistant there, and she has tried to help the program in every way she can. From showing Kager Knueppel around campus to gifting the Bulldogs Kobe 6 Protro PEs, she has been a big help for the person who has been by her side throughout her professional basketball journey.

On Thursday morning, McCaffery took to Instagram to wish Clark a happy birthday with a heartfelt post. He shared a candid of the two of them smiling and hugging, with the caption: “Happy 24th CC 🖤 celebrating you is a privilege and I’m so grateful for the laughter and joy you bring to our everyday lives ♾️ 2026 has so much in store for you 👀 I love you 🖤”.

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Together, they have emerged as one of the basketball community’s power couples, and seeing them going strong remains a wholesome sight for fans. Caitlin is 24, and the hope is that she continues to play for many years while staying healthy.