Magic Johnson and Larry Bird formed maybe the most iconic rivalry between two players in the history of the NBA. The playmaking wizard’s Los Angeles Lakers and the sweet-shooting forward’s Boston Celtics faced off in the NBA Finals three times during the 1980s, with the Lakers coming out on top in two of those three matchups.
The rivalry between Johnson and Bird also helped generate added fan interest in the NBA at a time when the league badly needed it.
Johnson seems to think that the WNBA’s Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese — both of whom are on the heels of their rookie seasons — have changed the course of their league just like he and Bird did when they were playing professional basketball.
“I love it because to your point, they dominated in college…and then they brought it over to the WNBA, just like we brought it to the NBA,” Johnson said after being asked by host Joy Taylor about a comparison between the rivalries. “We changed the NBA. They changed the WNBA. And now everything that these young ladies have been fighting for, they’re about to get, right?
“They end up getting private planes now. They’re gonna get more money in terms of salary because of the new collective bargaining agreement that the NBA and WNBA did together. So, it’s just amazing the way they were able to go around arenas across the country and sell ’em out, and little girls are now dreamin’ about being like Caitlin, like Angel and others.”
Reese spent her time playing basketball at the collegiate level at the University of Maryland and Louisiana State University, while Clark spent all of her years with the University of Iowa.
The two met in the national title game back in 2023, when Reese was with LSU. Reese’s squad won the game in question by 17 points, and she totaled 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block.
But LSU and Iowa met in the NCAA Tournament again the following year, and Clark got her revenge against Reese. Clark went off for 41 points and nine made 3s in a seven-point victory, also finishing with 12 assists and seven rebounds.
After the two battled on numerous occasions in meaningful college basketball games, they were both selected in the top 10 of the 2024 WNBA Draft. Clark was selected by the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 pick, and Reese went to the Chicago Sky with the No. 7 pick.
By all accounts, Clark and Reese were two of the top first-year players in the WNBA a season ago. Reese averaged a double-double, and Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Reese and Clark have yet to play against each other in a playoff game at the WNBA level, but hopefully that will happen in due time.
