Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helped elevate the WNBA to a new level of visibility last season. This season, both have been hampered by injuries and inactivity and with the two biggest names in the league looking like they won’t return this season, WNBA brass should be panicking about the months ahead leading up and through the playoffs.
Angel Reese Probably Shutting It Down For Season
Ahead of their matchup against the Sun, Chicago Sky coach Tyler Marsh gave an update on Reese. He mentioned that there is no timetable for her return, and Reese remains out of the lineup with just 12 remaining in the regular season. With Reese’s team struggling to the second-worst record in the league, it might not make sense for her to return and risk re-injury.
Said Marsh, while also praising his rebounding queen.
“She wants to be out there,” Marsh said. “She’s a competitor, she’s a fighter, she’s a winner. It’s hard for her not to be out there for her teammates, but we want her to be as healthy as possible when she is ready to come back.”
Angel Reese’s second season has been better than her record-breaking rookie campaign. She’s posted 14.2 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for the Chicago Sky.
We Probably Won’t See Caitlin Clark On The Court Again This Season
Caitlin Clark last played on July 15, 2025, after sustaining a right groin injury during a game against the Phoenix Mercury. After being accused of pushing Clark back and reports emerging that she wasn’t using the Fever medical staff anymore and was consulting her own doctors, Indian has been overly cautious with the second year guard. Don’t expect to see her this season. Indiana is heavy in the playoff mix, but what sense would it make to sit her all this time and then bring her back for high intensity playoff games where she’s trying to shake the rust off of not playing most of the season.
WNBA Won’t Tell Fans That Clark and Reese Are Shut Down For Season: Ratings Reasons
I say count her out. The WNBA isn’t going to be honest with the fans and say don’t expect to see Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese anymore this season. They are literally the two most popular players in the sport. Reese has a following of 3M on social media platforms and Clark was anointed prior to entering the league with a $28M Nike contract. Reese is also the face of Shaq and Allen Iverson’s Reebok re-brand and her endorsement deals from Mercedes Benz to Reese’s Pieces to McDonald’s are well chronicled.
The WNBA has A LOT going on right now and as long as the engagement is there, the sting of not having your most marketable players in games is manageable for the time being. However, the statistics are clear about the impact of Clark and Reese on attendance and ratings. More so Clark, whose games always lead the WNBA in ratings.
Ratings are down without these women on the court. The WNBA fan base seems to be solid and if anything, the league has proved that it could survive a few weeks – even a few months– without its most marketable stars.
Media Struggling For Newsworthy Stories Without Clark and Reese Playing: WNBA Bracing For Low Playoff Ratings
Media has gravitated to Clark’s teammates such as the blind bombers Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham, to keep momentum. It’s a cool story, but not the same, as neither players are stars like CC. Chicago Sky has been one of the worst teams in the league, even when they had Reese everyday. She needs to be surrounded by way more talent. Ratings dropped last season after Clark’s Fever team was eliminated from the playoffs. So how do you think the WNBA is going to keep momentum going into these playoffs with Clark and Reese out of the mix. Even when her team is playing poorly, Reese’s legion of fans look forward to her double-double exploits.
Nobody wants to discuss it, but if Clark doesn’t return for the playoffs, the WNBA is going to suffer losing all of the momentum it gained the past two seasons. And how will that benefit the players at the CBA negotiating table? It won’t. One more nugget to consider. If the media has to keep coming up with things to write about two polarizing athletes who aren’t participating in the games, then don’t expect much basketball to be covered at all when it comes to topics of discussion about the WNBA. Studbudz Part II anyone?
