Fever Front WNBA Rivals Week With Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese Showdown

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are set to square off with Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky in the WNBA's inaugural launch of Rivals Week in August.

Aug 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots against Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The WNBA has announced its first-ever Rivals Week, set to take place this August. Among the most highly anticipated matchups are the so-called “revenge game” between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, and Brittney Griner facing-off against her former team, the Phoenix Mercury.

Caitlin Clark and the Fever will face Angel Reese and the Sky in prime time to tip off the inaugural WNBA Rivals Week in August. Other games will include New York-Minnesota and Atlanta's Brittney Griner facing her old Phoenix Mercury squad. https://t.co/GPpcvWOFRL

— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) April 11, 2025

Spearheading Rivals Week is one of the WNBA’s most anticipated matchups: Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever versus Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. Their June 23 meeting last season was the most-watched regular season game of 2024, so it’s safe to assume that all signs point to the numerous rematches in 2025 carrying that same momentum. This of course goes for the primetime showdown in question on August 9.

The WNBA isn’t the first league to host a Rivals Week as the NBA has done so for three years and college football has its own version. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert talked about how important rivalries are in a CNBC interview, saying, "The one thing you know about sports, you need rivalry," when asked about the friction around Clark and Reese’s fanbases.

While catching some backlash at the time, Engelbert seems to be leaning more into the idea, headlining the activation with Clark and Reese front and center.  One X user summed it up by saying, “Cathy wasn’t kidding going on all those interviews talking about ‘rivalries.’ Now there’s a whole sponsored week.”

cathy wasn’t kidding going on all
those interviews talking about “rivalries” now there’s a whole sponsored week lmfaooo

— correlation (@nosyone4) April 11, 2025

Some aren't fond of the idea, seeing it as a false narrative that pits Clark and Reese against each other, while others see the value in the storylines, and feel it’s part of what has catapulted the WNBA’s recent success.

WNBA launches “Rivals week” pitting Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese against each other 🤔 pic.twitter.com/fMLf711OQP

— WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) April 11, 2025

I don’t like but it’s smart tbh lol. A lot of buzz that week and lots of narratives and watching

— Michael Ramsford (@Ramsfordmaster) April 11, 2025

Say what you want, but when it comes to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the spotlight follows. The duo could play checkers in the park and it’d still go viral.