2024 has been full of drama as well as dramatic moments in the WNBA with its highest visibility in a season. ESPN reported in July that viewership numbers for the W on the network had gone up by 183%. The league is in a new era, thanks to the high-stakes rivalry from past NCAA players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. And the never-ending narrative surrounding these two seems to have reached a boiling point.

Sports Illustrated recently published its list of THE 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL FIGURES IN SPORTS. From the W, the familiar rookies can be found on the list but where they have been ranked by SI is what has grabbed attention. Alongside Clark and Reese, there is also Candace Parker, A’ja Wilson, and Dawn Staley. And the Rookie of the Year favorite is ranked below all of them!

If you look at the ROTY rankings throughout the season, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark were head-to-head when the season started. Hot on each other’s heels after an uber-successful college career, both were bent on proving their abilities as pro athletes. But then somehow, Clark pulled ahead in the race and is now largely the favorite to win, especially since Reese announced in the first week of September that she had a season-ending injury.

But for Sports Illustrated, the Chicago Sky star’s performance in the season has been “historic.” Not only is she ranked nine places above Clark, but Reese has also featured on the cover of the magazine. While the Indiana Fever rookie is called a “generational talent” and praise is showered for always bringing the attention back to what matters most, aka basketball, Clark somehow falls short among the current stars.

There is of course the MVP favorite A’ja Wilson, who is described as “the best pro women’s basketball player in the world right now, having won everything there is to win—twice.” As we have seen in the last few years, Wilson has won the Championship with the LV Aces twice and is aiming to do it again this year. She has two Olympic golds, two MVP awards, and two Defensive Player of the Year titles. Wilson is ranked 8 places above Caitlin Clark and two below Angel Reese.

Then there is former pro-Candace Parker, who has been an analyst for TNT and NBA TV and even became Adidas’s president of women’s basketball in May. Another former player and current coach, Dawn Staley, whose South Carolina Gamecocks actually beat Caitlin Clark’s Iowa last season!

Other than these big names, even JuJu Watkins of the USC Trojans and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson also got an honorable mention. The next generation of the WNBA stardom seems poised to make their entry into the pro league. But meanwhile, the Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark debate seems endless.

As ESPN takes back their verdict, new Angel Reese – Caitlin Clark drama emerges

For some obscure reason (read: advanced metrics like WS and PER, ESPN has usually favored Angel Reese over Caitlin Clark despite the Fever guard having better numbers throughout the season. Yesterday, the network finally released an updated rankings list that gives praise where it’s due.

“Fever (and Hawkeye) fans, rejoice! Clark has taken over the No. 1 ranking among rookies according to the consensus of the advanced metrics,” wrote Neil Paine. Clark’s win shares (WS) at 3.0 and Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at 5.2 are officially more than Reese’s 2.8 and 3.9, respectively.

But in a new storyline that has emerged in the saga of their rivalry, some off-court actions have once again caught the eye. Names like Renee Montgomery have in the past criticized Caitlin Clark fans for going beyond basketball and delving too deep into the personal. And Reese reportedly ‘liking’ a TikTok video claiming the same has riled up the W community.

But it’s as Cathy Engelbert put it in a controversial answer last week, rivalries are healthy for sports. But only so far as they’re focused on the sport, aka the professional rather than the personal.