Clark, Reese matchup warrants bigger venue as Sky move 2 games to United Center

The highly-anticipated matchup between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese warrants a sizable venue to match the hype. That plan is now in store as the Chicago Sky, whom Reese plays for, announced Friday that the games in Chicago featuring two of the WNBA’s brightest young stars will now be held at the United Center, where the NBA’s Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks play instead of the Sky’s Wintrust Arena. 

Clark and Reese will now play in front of twice as many fans as the United Center’s capacity is 20,917 compared to the Wintrust Arena’s 10,387. 

Clark and Reese have faced each other a total of seven times throughout college — while Reese was at Maryland and LSU and Clark at Iowa — and in their rookie seasons in the WNBA. When the teams meet on June 7 at the United Center, it will be the largest stadium capacity-wise in which they’ve played against one another. Reese’s Terrapins and Clark’s Hawkeyes met in the women’s Big Ten Championship in 2021 in the NBA’s Pacers’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which has a seating capacity of 18,345. 

The Sky and the Fever will play again in Chicago on July 27.  

They will also play three times in Indianapolis: May 17 in the season opener, Aug. 9 and Sept. 5.

Across four matchups last season, the Fever were 3-1 against the Sky. Clark averaged 20.5 points in those games, including a 31-point, 12-assist performance in a 100-81 win on Aug. 30, 2024. Reese averaged 13.5 points across the four games and had 25 in the Sky’s one win over the Fever. 

Clark, the Rookie of the Year last season, and Reese brought new attention to the WNBA with attendance and ratings soaring. They have been rivals since their college days when LSU topped Iowa in the national championship game in 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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