Angel Reese given two-word response in bid to overtake WNBA rival Caitlin Clark

NBA icon Dwyane Wade has urged Angel Reese to ramp up her self-belief in her scoring prowess to match the strides made by Caitlin Clark, telling her to be "more confident".

Clark dazzled in her inaugural WNBA season, scooping the Rookie of the Year award and establishing herself as a top-tier talent. The first pick of the draft concluded the regular season with an impressive tally of 19.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, also topping the assists chart with an average of 8.4.

She not only led all rookies in scoring but also propelled the Indiana Fever into the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Both Clark and Reese earned their stripes as WNBA All-Stars in their debut seasons.

Despite Reese's year being cut short by a wrist injury, the ex-LSU standout still had a remarkable run.

The 22-year-old dominated the rebounding stats, pulling down an average of 13.1 boards per game, and notched the second-highest rookie scoring average (13.6 points per game) after Clark. Keen to keep the rivalry with Clark alive into their second year, Reese sought advice from Wade on her podcast about enhancing her game.

The Miami Heat legend advised: "I saw moments this where you did the next step, it's just about doing it more. You have it. Now it's about working on it and being consistent with it. Don't go in the gym and work on something, then don't trust it."

Reese opened up about the challenges of adapting to the game, saying: "That's the toughest thing, I think people don't realize that when you go into the game you're so used to the things that work for you, that are easy for you. That's why the toughest thing for me is being able to go into a game and just take the shots that I work on."

The three-time NBA champion replied: "For you, it's becoming more confident in your offensive bag - but you've shown flashes of it. When the game slows down for you, that's when it gets scary."

Reese and Clark's rivalry dates back to their college days, starting when LSU faced Iowa in the 2023 NCAA championship - Reese memorably signalled their victory by tapping her ring finger as a nod to the championship ring she would soon wear.

Their competitive fire continued, with Clark's Iowa exacting a measure of payback in an earlier round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, before both young stars took their dynamic contest to the professional stage with the WNBA.

Across the 2024 season, their battle for Rookie of the Year was intense, only concluding due to Reese's unfortunate injury and Clark's consistent performance.