Dawn Staley Cranks Up the Heat on Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky Rivalry
The Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever have risen to prominence in the WNBA following the 2024 draft. The event brought Angel Reese to the Sky and Caitlin Clark to the Fever, with each player becoming an all-star during her first season.
In 2024, Reese shattered a league record by averaging 13.1 rebounds per game, while Clark, in her debut season, topped the WNBA charts with 8.4 assists per contest. Both were recognized on the All-Rookie squad; additionally, Clark was honored with both the 2024 Rookie of the Year title and a spot on the First Team All-WNBA roster.
Indiana won three out of the four matchups that took place between the two teams last season, and they also won on opening day of the 2025 season by a score of 93 to 58.
On Saturday, the second game of the season featuring the Fever versus the Sky was held at the United Center in Chicago. Dawn Staley, who leads South Carolina women's basketball and is also a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, participated in the pre-game show to discuss the contest.
Staley commented on whether the Sky and Fever can be considered rivals, taking into account that Indiana has maintained a 4-1 lead over Chicago since the beginning of the 2024 season. Staley firmly expressed her stance on the developing rivalry between these two teams.
"It’s a competition where I enjoy watching these two teams face off against one another. The outcome could go either way,” Staley stated. “So yes, we can definitely label this as a rivalry.”
Staley competed for nine years in the WNBA, spending seven seasons with the Charlotte Sting and two with the Houston Comets. She earned All-Star honors five times and was part of the 2013 class enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
This season, Reese is consistently achieving a double-double with averages of 10.0 points and an impressive 12.3 rebounds per game, leading her team—the currently 2-4 Sky—in rebounding. Meanwhile, Clark hasn’t played in the last three consecutive matches because of an injury; however, before getting sidelined, she had been putting up remarkable stats: 19.0 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per contest over four appearances.
The Sky and Fever have three additional matchups scheduled for this season, with their next game set for July 27 in Chicago.
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