You know you are special when a legend like Magic Johnson cares to comment. This is what many can say now about rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark after their talent managed to grab the attention of the 5× NBA champion. However, the phenomenal abilities of both these athletes weren’t the only thing that impressed Johnson. Like many, he too is glued by the fiery and feisty on-court tussle between the two. So much so, that the 3× NBA Finals MVP couldn’t help but draw similarities of it with his legendary equation against his on-court adversary Larry Bird. But, is this comparison justified?

Fox Sports Radio’s familiar faces Chris Broussard & Martin Weiss sat together recently. Apparently, both evaluated Johnson’s recent take on the brewing rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. After Broussard put forth the concerned tweet, he asked Weiss to express his thoughts in this regard. Subsequently, he said, “I think that this rivalry is not Magic and Bird yet. What made Magic and Bird special was that they were both superbly successful in the NBA. Both individually and team success”. 

Despite both these legends claiming numerous individual accolades such as the Most Valuable Player or an All-Star star status on multiple occasions, their contributions resulted in their franchises lifting the NBA titles frequently. On top of that, both Johnson and Bird stepped up and delivered when it mattered the most. This is evident by the fact that Magic Johnson was a 3× NBA Finals MVP while Larry Bird won the award twice.

The eminent journalist continued on this chain of thought. Seemingly, he deduced that both these women athletes have to imitate something similar in order to reach that status. He further added, “That’s what’s going to have to occur. For this to remain having the same level of Bird, Magic kind of juice”. He then put a very interesting exclamation point on his theory. He concluded that the pinnacle of this rivalry would appear if we saw Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark facing off in a WNBA championship game.

While Martin Weiss may disagree, there are still some facts that support Johnson’s thoughts.

Numbers providing grounds for Johnson’s evaluation of the Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry

The June 16th encounter between these two heavyweights garnered an average viewership of 2.25 million. At that time, it set the highest viewership record of any WNBA regular season game. A week later, they broke the record as a total of 2.30 million people tuned in to witness them in action.

Further, Caitlin Clark with the Indiana Fever is already a part of the most viewed WNBA games ever on 6 media platforms. These include CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN Plus, ABC, and NBA TV.

There is no denying that Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark play a huge hand in the WNBA’s recent popularity surge. While there may appear contrasting opinions about their comparisons with the legends, many would agree that it’s headed that way. Fans will be eager for what’s next they have to offer next.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.