Caitlin Clark believes that her collaboration with Angel Reese will not detract from the overall All-Star Weekend experience.
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Team was announced on Tuesday night, several weeks before the All-Star Game in Phoenix. All-Stars from the USA Basketball Women’s National Team will battle against WNBA All-Stars chosen by fans, media, and coaches. There was a lot of speculation about whether Caitlin Clark would make the National Team, and there was a lot of excitement when the guard did not make the cut in June. Clark, on the other hand, was named to the WNBA All-Star Team of twelve players. Angel Reese, a rookie with the Chicago Sky, did the same.
It is the first occasion since 2014 that two rookies will appear in the game.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been [Reese’s] teammate before, even with USA Basketball,” Clark told reporters Tuesday. “So I know people will be extremely excited about it, but I hope it does not take away from everyone else. This is a significant accomplishment for both Team USA and Team WNBA. “I don’t want it to be the sole focus of All-Star Weekend.”
Clark and Reese are the top contenders for the Rookie of the Year award. Clark became the quickest rookie to achieve 300 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists. She leads all rookies in assists per game and three-pointers. On the other side, Reese leads all players in rebounds per game and has recently posted an incredible 11 consecutive double-doubles.
All-Star status can no longer be used to determine the Rookie of the Year. They are both there!
Fever-Aces brings large crowd
Unsurprisingly, the Las Vegas Aces moved Tuesday night’s game against the Indiana Fever from Michelob Ultra Arena to T-Mobile Arena. This decision led to the fifth-most attended regular season game in WNBA history, with an announced crowd of 20,366. Including playoff games, it was the most-attended matchup since 2007. Caitlin Clark noticed the unique atmosphere.
“It was probably one of the best we’ve had, from like an energy standpoint,” Clark said after the Fever’s 88-69 loss to the Aces. “The amount of people here watching warm-ups. I feel like that’s when I can kind of get a gauge on how good the crowd is or how excited they are about the game… tonight, it just felt very different. There were mobs of people watching us warm up.”
Clark’s presence has already driven sellouts and large crowds. Just before tip-off, the WNBA All-Stars were announced. Clark, along with teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, were selected. This marked the second consecutive appearance for the non-rookies. Clark ended up as the leader in fan voting, with Boston coming in second. Together, they accumulated 1,319,415 votes.
Reese finished in fifth.
Caitlin Clark, Fever All-Stars go to work but it’s not enough
Kelsey Mitchell led all Fever scorers with 23 points on Tuesday, tying her season high with five 3-pointers. Aliyah Boston supported with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, and she was the only Indiana player to shoot better than 50% from the field. Caitlin Clark scored 13 points, but her 1-for-7 performance from beyond the arc highlighted the team’s inefficiencies.
Despite her shooting struggles, Clark’s 11 assists helped. There were moments when the Fever’s offense, with the rookie’s aid, looked dynamic and fluid. However, at other times, it appeared flat. Indiana only trailed by six points entering the fourth quarter against the back-to-back champions, but then the Fever managed just five points midway through the final period. They left too many Las Vegas players open.
Kelsey Plum hit six 3-pointers for 34 points, and A’ja Wilson added 28 points. The Fever fell to 8-13, concluding their five-game road trip at the season’s midway point. Up next, they host the New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon, seeking their first win against them this season, having gone 0-3 so far.
Reflecting on the first half of the season, Mitchell said, “I think that we’ve made strides in a lot of different areas that not a lot of people can appreciate. Us 12 did a really good job from game to game, learning each other as best as we possibly could, respecting each other as we possibly could, and building a good culture. I think at game 21, we made really big strides in that area.”
She added, “I think it contributes to us winning.”
The Fever have won six of their last 10 games. However, while they may boast three All-Stars, the Aces have four Olympians.
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