Why Angel Reese is the villain the WNBA needs

And here’s the reality: The WNBA needs Reese just as much as it needs Clark. Every great story needs an antagonist and Reese fills the role better than many who have come before her. Clark is a megastar, but Reese is also a headline factory, gaining increasing attention with each news conference.

People love a hero and Clark is proof. She’s the reason WNBA attendance is up, ratings are setting records and gear is flying off the shelves. But people also love a villain nearly as much. Reese is generating clicks and conversation the league hasn’t had in its 28-year history. 

When the Sky traveled to Indiana on June 1 for the Commissioner’s Cup showdown, Reese elicited loud jeers during the announcement of starting lineups. The jeers grew even louder when she stepped to the line late in the game. The crowd, with the majority donning not Fever gear but Clark-centric gear, surely wouldn’t have reacted in such a way had Reese not pointed to her ring finger on that April night in 2023.

The WNBA will reap the benefits. Throughout history, the best in sports have needed a villain to push them. Magic and Bird. Sampras and Agassi. Ali and Frazier. Navratilova and Evert. It’s a tale as old as time, undefeated in the theater it provides.

Women’s basketball is vaulting into a new era and Clark is the primary reason why. But make no mistake, Reese is just as important to the story. Clark will put butts in seats, but Reese will generate interest. What will she say next? What will she do? She’s impossible to ignore.

When the story of the league is told 10 or 20 years down the road, Reese will be paramount to its history. Love her or hate her, she’s the villain this story needs.