A screenshot of a search result from August showed a list of videos on the WNBA\u2019s official channel on YouTube. It featured game highlights from the WNBA on the same day. A contest highlight featuring A\u2019ja Wilson and her Aces had 19K views. Another contest featuring Angel Reese had 23K views, and the one featuring Caitlin Clark and the Fever had 180K views. At the top of the list was a highlight video of Clark from the same game. Views? 15K. For the fan who posted the screenshot on X, Clark was unquestionably the face of the WNBA. But is she really?<\/p>\n
Angel Reese has popularity, has bigger team success, and even if you were not a fan of her offense, this year her shooting stats have improved as well. So, when the debate finally reached inside Speakeasy\u2019s studio, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho had something to contribute to the debate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel Reese has gotten significantly more offensively competent, and it\u2019s undeniable\u2026 What Angel Reese is doing now: she has competent post moves that she\u2019s committing to memory\u2026 That to me is worthy of praise\u2026<\/p>\n
I\u2019m gonna tell the world when you\u2019re balling, and when you\u2019re not, [there are] going to be conversations. But I don\u2019t think a championship makes her the face,\u201d Acho said on the Speakeasy podcast on YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n The debate over who will lead the WNBA’s next era just got fiercer. Subscribe to stay across every major voice shaping women’s basketball’s future.<\/a><\/p>\n Since 2024, when Reese and Clark both got drafted into the league, the face of the league\u2019s debate has largely been dominated by Clark and A\u2019ja Wilson. The Indiana Fever star brought views and filled seats, while the 3x champion and 5x MVP had a strong case because she was unquestionably the best player in the league. Despite having the largest social media following, Reese was barely in the conversation. Or perhaps she wasn\u2019t in the conversation at all.<\/p>\n However, this season, especially since the FIBA World Cup, the calculus about Reese\u2019s popularity has significantly changed.<\/p>\n The Atlanta Dream star was Team USA\u2019s best defensive piece and had a big role to play in \u200cher national team\u2019s gold medal win. As a member of the US team, Reese was able to secure a soft spot for a lot of fans who didn\u2019t cheer for her before.<\/p>\n Then came her Defensive Player of the Year award. With an improved offense, the DPOY award, and the potential to win the Finals MVP, Reese has ceased to be just a good player with most social media following. Opposing teams have to take her offense seriously, and so did the opposing teams\u2019 fans and game analysts sitting in the studio.<\/p>\n Reese\u2019s stock has never been better, so Acho denying her bid was a surprise. However, the former athlete pressed that history bore witness that winning hasn\u2019t given Reese an edge over Clark in popularity.<\/p>\n \u201cAngel winning a chip in college didn\u2019t propel her over Caitlin being the face [of the league]. So Angel winning a chip in the W isn\u2019t going to propel her [being the face of the WNBA],\u201d Acho added.<\/p>\n Reese won the 2023 NCAA title, defeating Clark in the championship game, and the Fever star never won one. But Clark\u2019s popularity never took a hit. She was still fans\u2019 darling and brought faces into the arena. Despite her social media presence, Reese didn\u2019t match Clark\u2019s viewership numbers, neither in Atlanta nor in Chicago.<\/p>\n But if attendance was the bigger criterion, why was Wilson in conversation at all? The Aces star is a superstar with the best player\u2019s badge. Championships matter, and in basketball, Finals MVP is bigger than every individual award. Combine the Finals MVP award with Reese\u2019s media presence, and it\u2019s hard to deny her a serious consideration.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the media rollout after Angel Reese wins a championship is going to be like no other we have ever seen for a WNBA player. If she goes out there and gets a Finals MVP,\u201d Speakeasy\u2019s leading host Kieran \u201cCarebear\u201d Hickey-Semple said.<\/p>\n A title win and an MVP award certainly don\u2019t warrant Reese a place over Clark in the face of the league conversation. However, the conversation may also be shaped by how media treats the debate.<\/p>\n The Dream took Game 2 (79-65) with the reigning DPOY recording 30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in 34 minutes. Atlanta will now host the Valkyries at State Farm Arena on Oct. 21.<\/p>\n Trending Articles<\/p>\n The post Ex-NFL Star Drops a Surprising Take on Angel Reese\u2019s Bid to Become the Face of the WNBA Over Caitlin Clark<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>. 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