Several recent reports have indicated a sudden surge in the viewership of WNBA matchups, thanks to the induction of 22-year-old Caitlin Clark into the league. Along with her on-court prowess, another reason why more people tune in now to watch the young prodigy in action is to witness her on-court rivalry with Chicago Sky player Angel Resse. The latter has not chosen to align herself with those people who credit her league’s rising popularity to her rival, claiming that “I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me, too,’ and I want y’all to realize that.” Resse’s remark has drawn the attention of many, including that of Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green.
A few hours ago, Green released another episode of his highly-viewed podcast. During the same, he highlighted his belief that the WNBA currently is at an “All-Time High”, while stating that the credit for the same shouldn’t be going to one person entirely. While he agreed that Caitlin Clark has certainly played a huge role in the growing popularity of the league, some credit for the same should also be going to her Chicago Sky rival.
“Angel Reese has brought eyeballs to the game, I agree with what Angel Reese said,” said the Warriors star. “I don’t quite agree with Angel Reese calling for the ‘accolades’ and the ‘flowers’ for herself, let somebody else go say it, but, you know what, I respect somebody standing on what they stand on”. Despite giving the WNBA player the advice that she should have someone else sing her praises, Green made it clear that she has his utmost respect for taking a stance and not backing out from it when the times get tough.
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While Caitlin Clark’s games have reportedly gotten more viewership than some of the other matchups. The same has risen to another level whenever she faces off against Angel Reese. According to Forbes, the recent Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game, which featured a controversial foul call on Caitlin Clark, saw a record viewership of 1.5 million Viewers. This was reportedly over 350% more than the average regular season game last year. The Reese-Clark rivalry is forming a storyline that renowned reporter Rachel Nichols has now compared to the iconic ‘Larry Bird-Magic Johnson’ one from the 80s. A good storyline is always sure to bring more attention and viewership.
Colin Cowherd believes that Angel Reese is going to be the ‘Draymond Green of the WNBA’
Ever since she started making waves in college, WNBA fans have come to realize that Angel Reese is a competitive spirit. From often engaging in trash talk during games. In one controversial instance, displaying a hand gesture to Caitlin Clark during a college game, Reese has formed somewhat of a ‘villain’ persona. She knows this as well since she recently put out a statement claiming “I’ll take the bad guy role and I’ll continue to take that on. And be that for my teammates.” All of this has convinced long-time sports personality Colin Cowherd that the WNBA star has similar traits as the one often displayed by the Warrior’s power forward.
“She’s willing to play the villain,” said Cowherd. “There are no great movies without conflict. The more conflict, the more villains the better the script… She’s gonna be the villain, she’s gonna be the Draymond Green”.
If one wants to know why Draymond Green gets to a villain, all they need to do is view his highlights during the Warriors’ recent run. Along with his occasional trash talk being on full display, the player was suspended for a combined 17 days after getting into two separate altercations with Jusuf Nurkic and his long-time rival Rudy Gobert.
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If you wish to know more about the latest happenings in the world of the NBA. Make sure to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius.
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