“It’s because of me, too.” These were Angel Reese’s words as she addressed the growing popularity of women’s basketball. She emphasized that Caitlin Clark wasn’t the sole reason behind the attention WNBA was getting. Reese came to the national limelight when she won the NCAA 2023 Finals defeating Clark’s Hawkeyes in the championship game and the duo have carried over their rivalry to WNBA. However, such claims didn’t sit well with American commentator Skip Bayless.

One name that comes to mind when you speak about Caitlin Clark’s competitors is Angel Reese. She has openly talked about being the opposite to Clark. And though, mostly Clark is credited for driving traction towards WNBA viewership, Reese holds a different opinion.

In a recent interview with Undisputed Live, Skip Bayless praised Reese but also talked about the downside of her strengths. His argument came against Reese’s viewership claim and he stated how her possessing a single strength is not enough to attract the viewership alone.

“What does Angel do the best, what just astounds me about her, what’s her greatest strength, it’s offensive rebounding. She just got that knack about offensive boards. So she’s nine rebounds a game that’ll work but of her total rebounds 35 are offensive to 27 defensive. Well, that’s staggering to me.”

Reese has averaged 9 rebounds so far this season, but on the other hand she averages 10.6 points, 1.9 assists compared to Clark’s average of 15.6 points, and 6.4 assists. Bayless believes, despite Reese’s strength in offensive rebounding, it isn’t what will draw fans.

“But I got news for you. Nobody’s going to pay to watch offensive rebounds. It’s just not how they want. They won’t watch men offensive rebound. They just won’t. It’s not a drawing card,” Bayless remarked.

Even since she arrived in the NCAA, Reese has been famous for her double-double. She had an average of 5.4 offensive rebounds during her four-year college career. And while her other stats, including her points and defensive rebounds, have suffered a setback as she adjusts to the cash-rich league, her offensive rebounds have comparatively been better and retained her college flair. She currently averages 5 offensive rebounds per contest, which is quite near her NCAA rebounding skills.

Though Bayless’s comments may hold weight, having Reese in their roster has helped Chicago Sky when it comes to ticket sales. According to StubHub, the sales of Chicago Sky have tripled from last season. The team also finished fifth among the top in-demand WNBA teams. However, StubHub also mentions that Clark’s Indiana Fever are the season’s best-sellers.

Reese and Clark have provided women’s basketball with an interesting dynamic, with their rivalry from college days spilling over to WNBA. This was highlighted following Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s foul on Caitlin Clark that pushed her to the floor.

Reese defended her teammate afterward, despite the severity of the foul and said, “She’s taken accountability for what happened and we’ve move forward from that.” She also pointed out how she was at the receiving end of a similar foul, but it didn’t get the same attention as Clark did.

“JJ knocked me down…she didn’t get a flagrant 1 though. She got a regular foul, but it was the same thing,” Reese added. Talking with the reporters, Reese brought up the soaring popularity of the sport, demanding her share of the credit. “I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me, too. I want y’all to realize that.”

Many NBA fans watch the game for dunks and alley-oops, whereas the WNBA gets a lot of followers who are interested in watching three-pointers and logo threes. Clark holds attention because of that and as a result she also been compared to NBA star Stephen Curry multiple times.

Stephen Curry lauds Caitlin Clark for her shooting skills

Clark has often landed up in comparison to the legendary Steph Curry because both have the ability to shoot from long ranges and can score in bunches. During her college career, Clark averaged an exemplary 28.4 points per game and had an exceptional 37.7% three-pointers.

Curry, in an interview with Today, also praised Clark for her astounding skills and talked of her wide range, claiming, “When you watch them play, she just adds the element of surprise that you can’t really game-plan for. Because it’s so unseen in the sense of when she crosses half court, she’s in her range.” 

Now that she’s got validation from Curry, no one can deny Clark’s popular gameplay tactics. While her fans would be analyzing Bayless’ statements, Clark’s admirers would have breathed a sigh of relief. Still, this seems to another chapter in the riveting rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark and we have likely not heard the last of it.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.