Lakers Hall of Famer Makes Bold Statement on Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Following a historic NCAA run with the Iowa Hawkeyes, now-second-year Indiana Fever All-Star point guard Caitlin Clark instantly emerged as one of the WNBA’s signature superstars.
Advertisement
The 6-footer’s arrival in the league last year improved fan engagement significantly almost from the jump. Ticket prices for Fever games soared, with some rival teams relocating their contests to bigger arenas to meet demand.
Clark, the No. 1 pick in 2024 did not disappoint, breaking a slew of records while earning All-Star, All-WNBA First Team, and Rookie of the Year accolades. She also finished fourth in MVP voting. She and 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston led the Fever back to the playoffs last fall, though the Fever fell in the first round.
This season, Clark has been averaging 21.3 points on .447/.400/.759 shooting splits, 8.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per bout.
Perhaps Clark’s fiercest college rival, LSU forward Angel Reese, helped ignite interest in women’s NCAA hoops. Reese entered the 2024 WNBA Draft, too, and was selected outside of the lottery, with the No. 7 pick, by the Chicago Sky.
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Aliyah BostonGetty Images
Reese was instantly one of the league’s top rebounders, and earned an All-Star berth as a rookie, too.
Advertisement
Her Sky, however, have been struggling. They missed the postseason last year after going on a losing streak when Reese went down with a wrist injury. This season, Chicago is just 3-8, and has already lost five-time All-Star point guard Courtney Vandersloot for the year with an ACL tear.
The 6-foot-3 Reese has struggled with growing pains at the next level more than Clark, but remains a tantalizing talent.
This year, the 23-year-old is averaging an 11-point, 11.3-rebound double-double, but has come under fire for her inefficient shooting. Despite mostly playing inside the post (she takes 86.4% of her shots from within 10 feet, and 91.9% of her shots from within the 3-point arc), Reese has converted just 37.8% of her field goal tries overall.
During a fresh interview with NBA expert Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Hall of Fame former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Michael Cooper made a bold NBA comparison for these two young WNBA All-Stars.
“For sure!” Cooper remarked, when asked by Robinson of Clark and Reese’s ascendance coinciding with growing fan interest reminded him of the moment that happened for the NBA with his teammate Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Larry Bird. “They have done some things!”
Advertisement
“But remember, before you get to them you gotta talk about the ones that came before them; and Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson were some of the best that played this game and that’s what started this league [the WNBA],” Cooper remarked.
Cooper won five titles during his tenure with the Lakers. He was also an eight-time All-Defensive Teamer, and was named the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year for his terrific perimeter coverage.
“So now we get to the point where we have Skylar Diggins, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese. You got players now that have a great foundation that this league had and now look where they are now,” Cooper continued. “So those two players are doing exactly what Bird and Magic did when they came into the league. They changed the league; they changed everything, you know?”
The former 6-foot-7 Lakers swingman was also a legendary WNBA head coach. Cooper led the Lisa Leslie-era Los Angeles Sparks to two championships during his two stints stewarding the franchise, in 2000-04 and 2007-09.
Advertisement
“You go with Caitlin Clark coming in,” Cooper continued. “I was in that league for 14 years flying domestic and heaving those hard flights. Well now they’re flying charter and they’re getting the due recognition… Sheryl Swoopes had to watch men play the game in order to learn how to play the game.”
“With Catlin Clark and the young people coming up now they can watch the Caitlin Clarks; they can watch [Paige] Bueckers, Angel Reese… they can watch them and emulate and be like them and say, ‘I want to be like them and let me get my game together!’“ Cooper reflected. “Because these ladies are playing at a whole ‘nother level that they thought wasn’t available to them and now look what you got.”
Related: Former Lakers Hall of Famer Gets Honest About Rival NBA ‘Super Teams’
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
