Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have brought their NCAA rivalry to the WNBA. When will they play each other as pros for the first time?

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament – Albany Regional / Andy Lyons/GettyImages

The Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark rivalry exploded in the 2023 National Championship game. Clark carried an enormous amount of attention into the game because of her individual exploits but LSU and Reese dominated, winning 102-85. Reese made headlines for her numbers — 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists — and for repeatedly taunting Clark during the blowout win.

Last season, Clark again was the center of attention with her record-breaking exploits while LSU faded from the spotlight with a rocky start to their title defense. The two stars met again in the Elite Eight and this time Clark got her revenge, leading Iowa to a 94-87 win and advancing to the National Championship before eventually falling to South Carolina.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament – Albany Regional / Andy Lyons/GettyImages

The two appeared to bury the hatchet acknowledging the rivalry but making clear that it wasn’t personal, it was about two elite competitors who happened to be standing in each other’s way. Both went in the first round of the WNBA Draft — Clark at No. 1 to the Indiana Fever and Reese at No. 7 to the Chicago Sky — bringing that rivalry to the next level.

The Fever have gotten off a rocky start, losing their first five games. The Sky, meanwhile have gone 2-1, beating both the Wings and the Liberty. Despite their relative places in the WNBA standings, Clark is still dominating headlines and Reese seems to be bothered by that balance when she has been pretty productive for a team that is actually winning games.

Although they don’t play the same position, Clark and Reese and their individual rivalry could come to define this next generation of WNBA stars. They haven’t played yet in the WNBA but their first meeting is fast approaching — June 1, at 1:00 p.m. in Indiana. But they’ll also meet three other times this season.

Full Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky schedule

The Clark vs. Reese matchup stretches beyond just the tournament games between LSU and Iowa. Reese began her career at Maryland before transferring and played Clark and Iowa three times in the Big 10. Looking at the results of their head-to-head matchups, Clark has put up the big numbers but Reese’s teams have had the much better record.

Through the first five games of her WNBA career, Clark has averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. Reese has averaged 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists through the first three games of her pro career.

Because they don’t play for the first time until early June, both will have some more time to get some reps, sand down the rough edges, build chemistry with their teammates and bring their best selves to what could be among the most exciting games on the schedule this season.