The Origin of One of Basketball's Most-Watched Rivalries

To understand why Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's on-court exchanges draw millions of viewers, you need to go back to April 2, 2023. That night, the LSU Tigers — led by sophomore forward Angel Reese — defeated Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game in Dallas, Texas.

Reese had a dominant performance, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds. But it was the final seconds that sparked a national conversation: Reese pointed at Clark and waved her hand in front of her face — a gesture Clark had used earlier in the tournament to celebrate her own team's wins. The moment was broadcast live on ESPN and immediately went viral across social media.

Both players handled the aftermath differently. Clark was gracious in defeat and acknowledged Reese's performance publicly. Reese defended the celebration as competitive fire and a direct response to what she felt was unequal media treatment throughout the tournament. Sports fans and commentators picked sides, and a genuine rivalry was born long before either player stepped onto a WNBA court.

What Happens When Clark and Reese Meet in the WNBA

When Caitlin Clark was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft and Angel Reese was selected seventh by the Chicago Sky, their college rivalry immediately became one of the WNBA's defining storylines. Indiana and Chicago are divisional opponents in the Eastern Conference, which means they face each other multiple times every regular season.

Their WNBA matchups carry an intensity unusual for the regular season. Clark directs Indiana's offense loudly from the point guard position — she calls out defensive sets, reacts visibly to officiating decisions, and plays with a level of emotion rarely seen from a point guard. Reese is equally demonstrative under the basket, fighting hard for position and celebrating big plays. When the two are on the court together, every loose ball, hard screen, and questionable foul becomes appointment viewing.

The heated verbal exchanges that trend after each game are rooted in this competitive dynamic. Both players are used to being the best player on any court they have ever played on. When they share a court, that competitive pride creates friction that cameras capture and social media amplifies — resulting in highlight clips and debate segments that drive even more attention to the league.

How to Watch Every Clark and Reese Game Live

The WNBA's broadcast footprint has expanded significantly since Clark and Reese entered the league. Here is exactly where to find their games:

• Amazon Prime Video — Carries a package of Thursday night national games. Included with a Prime membership at no extra charge. Stream on smart TVs, Fire Stick, Roku, Chromecast, or the Prime Video app on iOS and Android.
• ESPN and ESPN2 — Broadcasts a large portion of national WNBA games throughout the season. Access through cable or satellite, or via streaming services including Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Sling TV (Orange package includes ESPN).
• ABC — Carries high-profile regular season and playoff games. Available free over-the-air with an antenna in most U.S. markets, or included in any cable or live TV streaming package.
• Ion Television — Broadcasts a package of WNBA games on free over-the-air TV and basic cable. Check your local listings at iontelevision.com to confirm availability in your area.
• WNBA League Pass — The league's own streaming subscription gives access to every game, including out-of-market games not shown on national television. Subscribe at wnba.com. Also available inside the WNBA app for iOS and Android.

To find the exact broadcast channel for a specific Fever vs Sky game, visit the WNBA schedule page at wnba.com, filter by team, and the broadcast network appears next to each game date and time.

Setting Up Game Alerts So You Never Miss a Matchup

With a full WNBA season schedule, it is easy to lose track of when Indiana and Chicago face each other. Here is how to set up reliable game alerts across different platforms:

1. WNBA App (most reliable) — Download the WNBA app on iOS or Android and create a free account. Search for the Indiana Fever and tap Follow. Do the same for the Chicago Sky. In your notification settings, enable Game Start Reminders and Score Updates. The app sends a push notification roughly one hour before tip-off and provides live score alerts throughout the game.
2. ESPN App — Open the ESPN app and search for Indiana Fever. Tap the Favorite or bell icon to follow the team. Repeat for the Chicago Sky. ESPN sends alerts for game starts, final scores, and major news involving followed teams.
3. Google Calendar Import — Go to wnba.com in a browser and look for the schedule export option near the team's schedule page to download a calendar file. Import it into Google Calendar or Apple Calendar and every game will appear automatically with date, time, and opponent.
4. Twitter/X and Instagram — Follow @IndianaFever and @ChicagoSky on both platforms. Both team accounts post game-day reminders with broadcast information and start times on the morning of every game day.

Where to Find Live Stats, Highlights, and Game Replays

Whether you miss a game or want deeper analysis after watching, these resources give you fast access to stats and highlights:

• WNBA Stats (stats.wnba.com) — The official source for box scores, play-by-play data, shot charts, and season averages. Look up Clark and Reese individually or pull head-to-head game logs from every Indiana vs Chicago contest. Free and requires no account.
• Basketball Reference (basketball-reference.com) — The most detailed statistical archive for professional basketball. Excellent for comparing career numbers, per-game averages, and advanced metrics between the two players across full seasons.
• ESPN App and SportsCenter on Social Media — Condensed highlights from every WNBA game post within minutes of the final buzzer on the ESPN app and the SportsCenter accounts on Twitter/X, Instagram, and YouTube.
• WNBA Official YouTube Channel — The WNBA posts full-game replays and extended highlight packages on their YouTube channel, typically within 24 hours of each game. Search Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky to find archived matchups going back multiple seasons.
• Reddit (r/wnba) — An active community for game threads, stat discussions, and post-game analysis. Game threads go live about 30 minutes before tip-off and collect real-time reactions and highlight links throughout each game.

Why This Rivalry Has Reshaped Women's Basketball

The Clark-Reese dynamic is not just entertainment — it has had concrete effects on how the WNBA operates and how women's basketball is covered by national media. The 2024 WNBA season saw television ratings and arena attendance reach levels the league had not seen in decades. Indiana Fever road games in cities with historically modest WNBA attendance routinely sold out arenas, with fans on both sides filling seats that previously went empty.

What gives the rivalry depth beyond the spectacle is that both players are genuinely elite at basketball. Clark is one of the most skilled playmakers and long-range shooters the women's game has produced — she can create her own shot from anywhere on the floor and runs an offense at a pace that forces defenders to make decisions they are not prepared for. Reese is a relentless rebounder and interior scorer whose value shows up in the box score and in the margins of close games where second-chance points decide outcomes.

Their contrasting personalities give the rivalry texture that goes beyond the numbers. Clark channels emotion into technical precision and plays with an intensity that raises the level of her teammates. Reese is openly expressive, wears her competitive fire visibly, and uses every moment on the court as a statement. When they share the court, the contrast plays out in real time, creating moments that feel authentically competitive rather than manufactured for television.

For anyone interested in women's basketball, following this rivalry means watching a sport at a genuine turning point. Both Clark and Reese have spoken publicly about wanting to grow the game for the next generation of players. Their head-to-head matchups — including every verbal exchange and hard foul that goes viral — are among the most effective arguments the WNBA has ever made for why women's basketball deserves sustained national attention.