PHOENIX – With WNBA All-Star Weekend underway, perhaps the two biggest names at the event are two newcomers in Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. Both players drew the largest crowds during their media session and they're both currently locked in a heated race of the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

Both Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark were selected to the 2024 WNBA All-Star team where they will compete against Team USA as a tune up before the Olympics. Serving as head coach of the WNBA All-Stars is legendary women's basketball player Cheryl Miller. During a pregame media session, Miller was asked about what she wanted impart upon the two rookies that will follow them beyond the All-Star game.

“I think the biggest lesson that I can share with them is to stand back and the be of service, in the best way I can. I speak when I'm spoken to. I try to give them the best answers that I can and let them be themselves,” Miller said. “And again, coaching is so easy for me now because I understand what the players need. Looking ahead, it's not just what they're doing on the court, it's off the court.

“I understand that for young players, it's important for them to establish their brand. But basketball and brand, it's beyond that. I don't want them to lose sight of what's really, truly important. And that's the love of the game, and how and why they started playing with this round thing and how that made them feel. I never want them to lose sight of that.”

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese teammates for first time at WNBA All-Star

July 19, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz., U.S.; Sky forward Angel Reese (L) and Fever guard Caitlin Clark (second from left) stand with their teammates as they shoot half court shots during WNBA All-Star practice on Media Day at the Footprint Center.
© Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the most significant aspects of WNBA All-Star Weekend is that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are going to team up for the first time in their basketball careers. While it may be a bit overblown by media and fans, the duo have had a sort of rivalry dating back to their college years.

Reese and LSU squared off against Clark and Iowa in the 2023 NCAA championship game. LSU got the better of Iowa than winning the national championship. The following season, both teams faced off in a rematch in the Elite Eight with Iowa emerging victorious.

That sort-of rivalry has carried over to the WNBA as Clark and Reese are the frontrunners for the Rookie of the Year Award. Before All-Star Weekend and the subsequent Olympics, Clark set a league record for most assists in a single game (19) while Reese set a league record for most consecutive double-doubles (15). Both players have been responsible for a lot of the increased attention and visibility on the WNBA this season.

Clark has been averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.5 steals with splits of 40.5 percent shooting from the field, 32.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 89.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Reese has been averaging 13.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 40.2 percent shooting from the field, 20 percent shooting from the three-point line and 76 percent shooting from the free-throw line.