Brittney Griner Honest Admission on Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rivalry

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 8:35 AM ET

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have ignited one of WNBA’s fiercest rivalries since coming to the league. Their matchups consistently shatter viewership records, drawing fans to witness the clash of Clark’s shooting and Reese’s post dominance.

Their May 17 showdown, the Indiana Fever hosting the Chicago Sky, pulled in an average of 2.7 million viewers on ABC, the highest regular‑season audience in 25 years, peaking at 3.1 million at tipoff.

Beyond that, the 2024 WNBA All‑Star Game set a new benchmark with 3.44 million tuning in on ABC and a peak audience of 4.054 million. League‑wide, the 2024 season saw a 48 percent jump in attendance and 22 regular‑season games averaging more than 1 million.

In the latest episode of Cam Newton's podcast on Saturday, Brittney Griner offered a candid take on the Clark‑Reese phenomenon.

“I think it’s good,” Griner said. “Like, the Angel‑Caitlin rivalry. I think that’s great for basketball. We tune in to watch those games because we just want to see who’s going to win. We want to see how it’s going to go. But I definitely think that these rivalries are good for our game.”

Griner noted that the boom in viewership dovetails with a broader discussion about player compensation in the WNBA by increasing the revenue share.

“We're just going to have to push.. At first, it took us a while to get the numbers but the league is growing. The numbers are there,” she added.

The ESPY's @WNBA Player of the Year

congrats, Caitlin Clark pic.twitter.com/x1ch6l9c2y
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 17, 2025

“We’re just trying to thrive and run the same way that some of the other NBA, NFL, soccer, like we’re just trying to thrive the same way and get the equal part as well.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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