BECKY HAMMON ON TRASH-TALK IN WNBA: ‘NOBODY TALKS MORE CRAP THAN CAITLIN’
As more eyes move toward the WNBA, conversation continues about the physicality and trash-talking within the league. It’s also part of the discussion around rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who are continuing their battles after some high-profile matchups at the college level.
Last time the two faced each other, though, it wasn’t Reese and Clark talking. It was Reese and NaLyssa Smith, and both players received a technical foul late in the Chicago Sky’s victory over the Indiana Fever on Sunday.
Still, Clark can hold her own, according to Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon. She suggested the No. 1 overall pick does more of the talking, but that makes it even more fun to watch those matchups.
“She’s got Angel and Caitlin,” Hammon said of Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon. “We’re tuning in for those matchups. They also got to see my girl, Kate Martin. Look, at the end of the day, they’re really super skilled, they’re fun to watch and they jaw at each other.
“People be like, Angel’s talking – nobody talks more crap than Caitlin, too. Caitlin’ll be in there talking. That’s just what they did. I saw [Reese] and NaLyssa getting into it the other day. It’s a different generation because I think we talked subtly. They’ll be talking to your face. Which is fine. My thing is like, let them go. They’re big girls.”
Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry still a big draw
Although Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese downplayed the nature of their rivalry, the viewership numbers show people tune in to watch, as Becky Hammon said.
Clark and Reese were appointment viewing during their college careers at Iowa and LSU, respectively. The two went head-to-head in the NCAA Tournament twice – once in the 2023 national championship and again in the 2024 Elite Eight. The latter matchup helped set a record as 12.3 million viewers tuned in for Iowa’s victory, although that mark fell two more times afterward.
As the duo headed to the WNBA, the games remained must-see TV. The Fever’s first game against the Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse averaged 1.5 million viewers, which was the fourth-largest audience in the last 22 years for a WNBA game.
Then, the two teams helped break another record as 2.25 million people tuned in to CBS for the Fever’s second victory over the Sky earlier this month. That became the most-watched WNBA game in 23 years – and they eclipsed that mark a week later when 2.3 million watched Reese and the Sky come back to defeat the Fever on ESPN.
The post Becky Hammon on trash-talk in WNBA: ‘Nobody talks more crap than Caitlin’ appeared first on On3.
2024-06-28T00:38:27Z dg43tfdfdgfd