The AT&T WNBA All-Star game stirred the storm. The yearly spectacle featured Team USA chosen for this year’s Paris Olympics locking horns with a star-studded All-Star WNBA squad. On top of that, for the first time, the event had not one but rookies in the form of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. However, before the game head coach Cheryl Miller was on the firing lines of some fans, courtesy of a game-time decision.

Seemingly, the starting five representing team WNBA turned out to be Nneka Ogwumike, DeWanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones, Arike Ogunbowale, and the 2024 1st overall pick Caitlin Clark. That means that the ferocious Chicago No.5 Angel Reese would be benched for the initial stages of the game. Nonetheless, she did return in the latter stages of the opening quarter. Not only this, but the 6 ft 3 in forward also became the first rookie to register a double-double in an All-Star game (12 points and 11 rebounds).

In addition to this, she spent around 17:53 on the court. Consequently, she managed to be efficient in 50% of her field goals. She might have missed out on connecting some 3-pointers but landed both her free-throw attempts. Her adversary Caitlin Clark on the other hand also pulled off a record number. Apparently, she became the first rookie to distribute 10 assists in an All-Star game.

Still, there is an enraged section of fans as they opine that Reese deserved to open the game alongside Clark.

Angel Reese gets some support on her snub from Starting 5

Angel Reese was among the top five in terms of voting for this Olympic-centric All-Star Game. A total of 381,518 votes put her just behind Clark, A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston and Breanna Stewart. Pointing it out, one fan showed the frustration by writing, “Angel Reese should be starting this alll star game. She got more votes. Cheryl Miller tripping.”

Another X user had a rather ambiguous tone to this development. It is rather unclear whether the individual was indirectly targeting Miller or was content with her decision. Anyhow, Miller’s decision to let Clark be a starter and bench Reese might purely be because of their respective playing positions. Therefore, in the role of a guard, the 2× USBWA National Player of the Year proved to be an effective option whereas Miller had more experienced players who could take the position of forwards. Maybe, that might have been the thought process of this fan who conveyed, “So Clark is a Starter and Reese is on the bench. Sounds about right”. 

Meanwhile, some even revisited the rivalry angle between the two. In the past, Angel Reese has been accused of carrying a sense of jealousy and animosity towards Caitlin Clark. Through her comments after her advent to the WNBA, this narrative has gained a lot of traction. One of the WNBA enthusiasts kept that in mind while writing, “It’s gotta kill Angel Reese to be on the bench and watch Caitlin Clark be a starter for this”.

Also, some even thought they would have been great while playing together. And this was so when Caitlin Clark scored her 10th assist of the game by setting Angel Reese up for a layup. Although, the moment came in the penultimate quarter. Sadly, the fans were waiting for it to happen soon enough. Hailing both athletes before the game, one X user wrote, “The best combo in the W”.

Many have earlier as well resonated their rivalry with that of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Still, people would love to see both on the same side playing on the same team. This chain of thought came to the surface once again on this occasion as one fan expressed, “Magic and Bird of the WNBA”. 

Despite all this, the night proved to be productive for the two rookies. Both of them explicitly displayed what they are capable of when put together. Fans would absolutely love to see that happening more.