"It's about timing" - Derek Fisher credits Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark's arrival for surge in WNBA popularity

NBA legend Derek Fisher acknowledged the significance of rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for the surging popularity of the WNBA.

In the Draymond Green podcast, Fisher stated that things have fallen in place currently for the league to gain a bigger fan following.

“I think it’s amazing, man. I don’t even want to say it’s long overdue; everything is about timing. It’s about different variables aligning in certain ways,” said Fisher on the current rise in popularity of the WNBA.

Fisher likened the WNBA to the NBA’s rise in popularity during a number of phases in its history. The men's league's rise was helped by the rise of specific players such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1980s and Michael Jordan in the 1990s.

Kobe Bryant took over in the 2000s and LeBron James and Stephen Curry have kept the momentum going in the 2010s.

“Similar to the men’s games, it takes specific players, not just great players, but specific players at specific times that create a level of interest, intrigue, and greatness in their performance,” said Fisher.

Fisher knows a thing or two about recognizing stars within a league. In his 18 seasons in the NBA, Fisher played with some of the biggest basketball stars. These include Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Shaquille O’Neal in the Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Fisher has also dabbled in coaching within the women’s game, being the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks from 2019 to 2022. In his time with the Sparks, he coached the likes of Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, and Chelsea Gray as the sport grew before the arrival of Clark and Reese.

Derek Fisher compares Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

Derek Fisher went back to the 1980s NBA to create an analogy in his aforementioned point about timing. He pitted the rivalry of Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese with the rivalry of Boston Celtics’s Larry Bird and LA Lakers’ Magic Johnson.

“Dr. J was amazing, George Gervin was outstanding, Oscar Robertson was that dude, George Mikan was crazy… those guys were as good as it gets. But, the timing of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird coming into the league after playing in the NCAA title game, and some of the underlying social things around a white player and a black player, like you’re seeing a little bit of that with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.”

Like Bird and Magic, Clark and Reese started their rivalry in the NCAA, before bringing their talents to the professional ranks. The two ladies are now fighting for the Rookie of the Year honors.

In their two matchups against each other so far, Clark’s Fever got the upper hand against Reese’s Sky, making up two of the five wins currently for Indiana.

In Fever’s win on Sunday, Clark had 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, outshining Reese, who had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.