College rivals Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese clash to open WNBA Commissioner’s Cup

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After memorable matchups in the 2023 national championship game and the 2024 NCAA Final Four, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese meet for the first time in the WNBA to open the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase today (12 ET, ESPN).

What Is The Commissioner’s Cup? The fourth annual WNBA in-season competition debuts a new format for 2024:

• All 30 regular-season games played from June 1-13 will be Commissioner’s Cup Games

• Each team plays a total of five games, one against each of its in-conference rivals, with the results counting toward the Commissioner’s Cup and regular-season standings

• The teams that finish at the top of each conference will compete for a $500,000 prize pool in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship presented by Coinbase on June 25

Top Storylines: What’s stood out from the first two-plus weeks of the 2024 WNBA season?

• A’ja Wilson: The reigning Finals MVP has opened the season with five straight 20/10 games – the longest such streak in WNBA history. She fell one board shy of making it six straight on Friday

• Exciting Rookies: Clark leads all rookies in scoring (17.6 ppg, 13th in the W) and assists (6.6 apg, 4th). Reese leads the rooks in rebounding (8.2 rpg, 10th) and steals (1.3 spg), while L.A.’s Cameron Brink ranks third overall in blocks (2.7 bpg)

• Hot Starts: Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper and Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale became two of four players in WNBA history to tally 140+ pts in the first five games of a season

• Unbeaten Sun: Connecticut is off to a franchise-best 7-0 start to the season. Led by DeWanna Bonner (who became the W’s fifth all-time leading scorer in the season opener) and Alyssa Thomas (who has already added to her WNBA triple-double record)

• Aces Seeking 3-Peat: Las Vegas is off to a 4-2 start as they try to become only the second team ever (1997-2000 Comets) to win three straight titles

• Run It Back: The Liberty – last year’s runner-up – are off to a 6-2 start as they look to return to the Finals and win that elusive first title

• New-Look Storm: After going 11-29 last season, the Storm added 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike and six-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith to join reigning scoring champ Jewell Loyd. The trio has Seattle off to a 5-3 start

• Expansion: The Golden State Valkyries will join the WNBA in 2025 and Toronto was just awarded the league’s 14th team to begin play in 2026