Caitlin Clark overwhelmed Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky on Friday, leading the Indiana Fever to an emphatic victory with an impressive performance that impressed LeBron James
LeBron James spoke out in support of Caitlin Clark following her devastating performance versus the Chicago Sky years after Angel Reese took shots at the Los Angeles Lakers star.
On Friday night, Clark dominated and inspired the Indiana Fever to a 100-81 win over the Sky. The 22-year-old finished the contest with 12 assists, four rebounds, and a career-high 31 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
After recording double-digit assists, Clark also broke the WNBA record for the most games by a rookie with over 20 points and 10 assists (9). Ticha Penicheiro was the previous record-holder after recording eight during the 1998 season.
The game provided a great platform for the ongoing Rookie of the Year debate between the two, but it wasn’t Reese’s most dominant outing as she put up 10 points, 11 rebounds and two assists on 4-of-9 shooting. Reese still managed to make history, too; Reese has recorded the most double-doubles by a rookie in WNBA history (23), surpassing Tina Charles, who set the record (22) in 2010.
However, Friday belonged to Clark. The Fever was +23 when the guard was on the floor, and James decided to pay homage on social media.
“Caitlin Clark!!!! Hi Haters,” James posted to his 53 million followers on X. His post comes over three years on from Reese’s own post, in which she claimed “LEBRON WAS NO HELP” during the Lakers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs.
James isn’t the only NBA player who has praised Clarke during her historic rookie year. The Fever stud has had several stars sing her praises recently, including Dallas Mavericks phenom Luka Doncic. Back in April, Doncic said: “That’s the woman Steph Curry. She can shoot it better than me.”
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are rivals stretching back to their college games and National Championship meeting
Steph Curry himself has addressed the comparison, insisting Clark has more to her game than simply shooting the basketball. He said: “I think it almost robs her of, like, the rest of her game because she’s such a good floor, you know, she has her overall, you know, floor game, she’s racking up, you know, close to triple-doubles every night.”
Since the WNBA resumed following the Olympics break, Clark and the Fever have been on a tear. Indiana now sit sixth in the standings and third in the Eastern Conference, with the likes of Kelsey Mitchell – who has scored at least 20 points in each of the team’s six games since the break – also stepping up.
The Fever has reached .500 for the first time since the very start of the 2024 campaign. Clark and the Fever will next face off against the Dallas Wings on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. ET.
