Clark would welcome Reese as all-star teammate

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are both doing well in fan voting for the WNBA All-Star Game.

Before Sunday's matchup at Wintrust Arena, Clark said she would welcome the chance to join Reese as an all-star teammate. The two have only played against each other, starting in summer AAU when both were in high school.

“I think both of us would probably tell you our focus is definitely on playing basketball,” Clark said. “If that works out for the both of us, great. It would be a lot of fun. We've never played together.

“I guess I don't really know what goes into how they select the all-star team. I know fan vote is part of it. But there's also a lot of other criteria. I think she (Reese) has had a tremendous season. If that was to happen, I'm sure people would love it.”

The WNBA All-Star Game will be July 20 in Phoenix, just before the league takes a one-month break for the Olympics.

Keep basketball fun

Clark has seen nothing but large, enthusiastic crowds for the past year, whether she was playing for Iowa or the Fever. Before her first professional game in Chicago, she told reporters she does not condone fan negativity.

“Basketball's really fun,” she said. “There should be people cheering for both teams. I don't think it should ever be a negative thing. As a player, I'm not looking for the crowd to be negative toward the other team. I don't think there's a place in basketball for that.

“Cheer for your team, that's great, but just appreciate the basketball that's on the floor because it's really good and that's what's going to help this league grow further and further.”

Budding rivals

Is there a Chicago vs. Indianapolis rivalry? Well, Bulls-Pacers, Bears-Colts and DePaul-Butler haven't really caught on. Maybe Sky vs. Fever can get it going.

“I think people are just excited to see this matchup,” Clark said. “Obviously, it's two WNBA teams right in the Midwest where I grew up. I know how much they love women's basketball in this area. We were driving by (in the team bus) and there were so many lines of people already trying to get in.”

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon took the opposite side of this debate.

“We don't see it as a rivalry,” she said. “We don't. We see it as a game we've got to go out and win. We recognize how close we all are in distance, but it's about us trying to get better every game. That's how we're approaching every game.”

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