Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark Named To WNBA All-Star Team As Teammates
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark headline the WNBA All-Star team where the rookie sensations will be playing as teammates. ESPN reports that the two athletes have been named to the 12-player roster of Team WNBA, and they are set to go head-to-head with Team USA, aka the U.S. women’s national team. The exhibition will work as the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game which will go down on Saturday (July 20) in Phoenix (watch for free with DirecTV Stream).
Reese and Clark, who were both selected in the top 10 of the 2024 WNBA Draft, are the only rookies playing in this All-Stars game. Since their college days at LSU and Iowa, the ladies have never played on the same team throughout their storied basketball careers. Clark spoke about this historic moment during a post-game presser, detailing that fans would be super excited to watch them play with instead of against each other. However, Caitlin was adamant in not having her and Reese’s storyline take away from all the other women on the floor.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been her teammate before, even at USA Basketball. I know people will be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t take away from everyone else,” Clark said. “This is a huge accomplishment for everybody on Team USA and everyone on Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise. I don’t want it to take away from any of that and be the focal point of All-Star weekend because that’s not fair to them.”
The Chi-Town Barbie had an emotional reaction to the WNBA All-Star news. As she conducted her post-game presser after beating the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night, Angel fought back tears, trying to work through her gratitude.
“I’m just so happy. I know the work I put in. Coming into this league, so many people doubted me and didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player that I was in college or better or would be worse and wouldn’t be where I am right now,” she recalled. “But I trusted the process and I believed and I’m thankful that I dropped to [pick No. 7] and was able to come to Chicago. It’s just a blessing. I can’t thank my teammates and my coaches enough for just believing in me and trusting me. I know all of them are going to come to Phoenix and support me. So I’m really happy right now.”
Elsewhere on the Team WNBA side of the All-Star game, nine-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike and six-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner will play by Angel and Caitlin’s side. The rest of the team includes Brionna Jones, Allisha Gray, Dearica Hamby, Jonquel Jones, Kayla McBride, and Arike Ogunbowale.
Team USA is made up A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Chelsea Gray, Diana Taurasi, Jackie Young, Jewell Loyd, Kahleah Copper, Kelsey Plum, Napheesa Collier, and Sabrina Ionescu.
The 2024 WNBA All-Star event will occur at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Saturday (July 20) at 8 PM EST. Stream it live on ABC for free with DirecTV Stream.
