Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Named Among SI’s ’50 Most Influential Figures in Sports’

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have only been in the WNBA for one season, but both are considered among the most influential athletes in sports. Sports Illustrated recently released its “50 Most Influential Figures in Sports,” which included both rookies.

Both Clark and Reese have enjoyed superb seasons in the WNBA in 2024. Both have broken multiple league records and were named to the WNBA All-Star Team earlier in the year. For a majority of the season, the two were in the running to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

Clark was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and has lived up to the hype. She is averaging 19.5 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. She’s the first rookie to record a triple-double in league history and has set new single-season assist and single-game assist records.

Reese was picked No. 7 overall by the Chicago Sky. She set a new league record for consecutive double-doubles, recording 15 in a row. Reese also set the WNBA’s single-season rebounding record at 446 boards prior to an injury that sidelined her for the remainder of the season. That record was recently broken by two-time league MVP A’ja Wilson.

Here’s what Sports Illustrated had to say about both Reese and Clark and their impact on the WNBA and women’s sports.

Angel Reese, Chicago Sky

“Since being drafted No. 7 by the Sky in April, Reese has gone from Bayou Barbie to WNBA All-Star, making a strong case for Rookie of the Year along the way. The 6’ 3″ forward has already turned in a historic season. She set a league record for most consecutive double doubles (15), became the first WNBA rookie to record back-to-back 20-rebound games (a feat not seen at the pro level since fellow LSU alum Shaquille O’Neal did it in April 1993 as an NBA rookie). The 22-year-old and has long parlayed her on-court success into savvy business opportunities; she recently paired up for a fitting candy partnership with Reese’s, released a collection with Reebok and has confirmed that she has a signature shoe on the way.”  — Kristen Nelson

Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

“Generational talent is a term often thrown around in sports, but only occasionally does an athlete emerge who truly lives up to that billing. The Fever rookie is one of those lightning-in-a-bottle figures. A phenomenon as much as she is a basketball player, Clark illustrates what happens when unparalleled skill meets the right moment. The former Iowa star’s explosion into the mainstream is fueled by her stratospheric shooting ability, launching logo three after logo three to lead her Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship appearances in 2023 and ’24. Since then, the 22-year-old has been the subject of towering hype, her transition from collegiate prodigy to WNBA rookie covered breathlessly. The increased attention has seen WNBA attendance and viewership numbers grow exponentially.    

“Buzz to that degree could overwhelm even the most poised of players, but Clark has stayed the course. Growing into her pro career, the young star has shown she isn’t just a shooter with style, but also a hooper with substance, breaking the WNBA rookie assist record 28 games into her career. For all that’s swirling around Clark, perhaps what’s most impressive is her commitment to always bringing it back to the main thing: basketball.”  — Clare Brennan