Okay, do you guys remember how the Bird vs Magic rivalry started? The 1979 NCAA championship game between the Spartans and the Sycamores changed the history of basketball forever, and revived a dying league. Over the next ten years, their back-and-forth contests in the NBA generated interest like never before, pushing the league to new heights. And all it took was one game.
History repeated itself for the WNBA, as the league got a gold-mine of a rivalry dropped in its lap last year. Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark were two of the best players in the WNBA last season, with Clark in her rookie year and Reese in her second. However, their high-voltage rivalry dates back to one game–the 2023 NCAA championship game. One gesture from Angel Reese created a narrative that changed women’s basketball for good. Their dynamic fueled record viewership, with their 2024 regular-season matchups averaging 11.4 million viewers, per ESPN, a trend that carried into 2025 with their season opener on May 17 set to kick off the expanded 44-game schedule.
However, according to WNBA legend Cheryl Miller, the narrative is exactly just that. A narrative. On Matt Barne’s podcast ALL THE SMOKE, Miller talked about coaching Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for the WNBA All-Star game. Her reaction? “Best coaching job ever!”. The former USC coach expected friction, but she was pleasantly surprised by the dynamic between Reese and CC. Their teamwork shone in Team WNBA’s 117-109 upset over Team USA, a game Miller revisited with pride, noting it drew 9.8 million viewers—the highest All-Star audience since 2003.
Their combination is quite lethal. Both players are unselfish, and absolutely committed to their roles. Caitlin Clark, for all that people praise her scoring, is a pure point guard by nature. She looks for that extra pass, she looks for the right play, and it reflected in her 10 assists against Team USA. Reese on the other hand? Pure domination in the paint. Her ability to crash the boards puts whatever team she’s in at an immediate advantage. Cheryl Miller witnessed the two play together, and it was not what she expected. Clark dished a no-look pass to Reese for a layup in the fourth quarter, a highlight that trended on X with over 2 million views, per WNBAStats.
“They had their narrative. And I was pleased, and proud, to see the narrative wasn’t the truth.” Miller said, praising the two for their abilities and temperament. Furthermore, she talked about how the pair gelled together, to her surprise. “Angel and her got along so well and watching them practice and, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, just get it,’ and Caitlin is like, ‘Just fly, just fly.’”
Miller quashed all rumors of animosity between the two in her interview, and it makes sense. CC and Angel Reese have both denied that any ‘rivalry’ exists. Both of them have been playing basketball together since their AAU days, and respect each other a lot. On March 10, 2025, Clark told ESPN, ‘Angel’s work ethic is unreal—we push each other,’ reinforcing their bond ahead of their May 17 rematch. However, the WNBA legend highlighted a glaring issue with some women’s basketball players in the league.
‘You big dummies!’ Cheryl Miller sets the record straight with Caitlin Clark haters
Ever since CC entered the league, she’s been a highly polarizing figure. The Iowa alum took the W by storm in her rookie year, finishing fourth in MVP voting, and winning ROTY honors. In 2024, she averaged 19.2 points and a league-leading 8.4 assists, per WNBA stats, boosting the Fever to their first playoffs since 2016. However, winning over the veterans hasn’t been easy for the Fever star. A lot of players in the league refused to acknowledge Clark’s efforts, criticizing her every move.
According to Cheryl Miller, however, those players need to reevaluate their opinions . “Is she getting hyped? Yes. But she was in the backyard. She was putting in the same time, and sometimes maybe more than you were. I can’t fault her for what she was given.” The WNBA legend said about Clark’s popularity and the hype that surrounds her.
Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team WNBA guard Caitlin Clark (22) against the USA Women’s National Team during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Not only that, she dressed down the players that were hating on the Indiana Fever star. “You big dummies, you’re getting paid now. Everybody now has an opportunity to pull up their chair and have a seat.” She said, asking them to see the bigger picture.
With the league moving into a much more lucrative media rights deal, and players union opting out of the labor contract, WNBA stars will make a lot more money moving forward. The 2025 season, starting May 16 with the Golden State Valkyries’ debut, promises higher earnings, with Clark and Reese headlining the Fever-Sky opener on May 17, per the December 2024 schedule release. So according to Miller, hating Caitlin Clark for bringing more popularity to the league just doesn’t make sense.
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