Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese help WNBA to stellar ratings in opening weekend

It was a busy opening weekend for the WNBA with record breaking performances and ratings as the league's stars shined.

The game between Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever and Angel Reese's Chicago Sky drew an average of 2.7 million viewers, which made it the most watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms. Clark posted a triple-double while Reese had 12 points and 17 rebounds in the blowout loss for Chicago.

The pair also had a moment on the court when Clark had a hard foul on Reese while she was going for a layup that ended up being a flagrant 1 when it was upgraded by the officials. Both players after the game said that it was just a basketball play.

A day after the game, the league said it was looking into racial comments made towards Reese by fans. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the details to The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly identified the subject of the taunts or who made the allegations.

Indiana said it would do what it could to help the league.

“I told the team, obviously, we’re going to cooperate fully with the investigation,” Fever coach Stephanie White said Monday. “But there’s no place for that in our league, whether it’s at home, whether it’s on the road. It doesn’t matter. We want to encourage our players, our staff to bring recognition to it in real time if it’s heard, if it’s seen or anything of that nature.”

The two teams will meet again on June 7 in Chicago.

It wasn't just the Chicago-Indiana game that drew strong numbers. The opener Saturday between Las Vegas and New York had an average of 1.3 million viewers. Reigning MVP A'ja Wilson had a stellar performance in the loss. Last season's runner-up for MVP also had a strong opening weekend as Napheesa Collier led Minnesota to two victories.

While Indiana, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Minnesota were expected to be in the WNBA spotlight this season, not much was expected of Washington with a new coach, new general manager and a whole host of new players, led by rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.

The Mystics won their first two games and now head out for a three-game west coast trip in Golden State, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper underwent an arthroscopy on her left knee last week and will be out four-to-six weeks, the team announced. Copper is playing in her ninth season in the league and was the WNBA's third leading scorer last year averaging 21.1 points a game in her first season in Phoenix.

Minnesota and New York led the way in the first regular season AP power poll tied at No. 1. The national voting panel chose Indiana third and Phoenix fourth. Las Vegas, Washington and Los Angeles were the next three. Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas followed. Chicago, Connecticut and Golden State rounded out the rankings.

Napheesa Collier had a strong opening weekend, averaging 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists to help the Lynx win their first two games, both on the road. Other players receiving consideration included Caitlin Clark of Indiana, Natasha Cloud of New York, Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Brittney Sykes of Washington.

New York at Indiana, Saturday. The defending champion Liberty will visit Clark and the new-look Fever. Indiana made a ton of offseason moves to bolster their roster, including signing DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard. It will be a chance for the team to see where it stacks up against one of the best teams in the league early in the season.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, left, battles for the ball with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, center, during the second half an WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is ushered back to the bench area by teammates after being called for a flagrant foul on Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese during the second half an WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets fired coach Dean Evason and named hockey-lifer Rick Bowness as his replacement on Monday.

Evason is the first NHL coach fired this season. General manager Don Waddell announced the abrupt change with his team sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference 45 games into the season with a record of 19-19-7.

“This season has been a frustrating one for all of us and the bottom line is we are not performing at a level that meets our expectations," Waddell said. "We all share in that responsibility, me included, and while this was not a decision that was made lightly, it is one that needed to be made at this time. Dean did a tremendous job last year under extremely difficult circumstances, and I thank him for that."

Assistant Steve McCarthy, who had been with the organization for nearly a decade, was also fired.

Bowness is back in the league after he retired in the spring of 2024, ending a stint with the Winnipeg Jets. Bowness, who coached Dallas to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020 pandemic bubble, turns 71 on Jan. 25.

“Rick Bowness is a tremendous coach with invaluable experience and knowledge, and he will bring a steadiness to our team at an important juncture in our season,” Waddell said. “He is a good communicator whose teams play with structure, are sound defensively and we believe he is the right person to bring out the best in our group.”

Bowness during his lengthy career has been head coach for seven different teams, dating to the original Jets in 1988. He did some broadcasting with TNT since stepping away from his most recent job in Winnipeg.

Evason was just past the midway point of his second season in charge of the Blue Jackets. Waddell’s first order of business upon becoming GM was to fire then-coach Pascal Vincent and put Evason behind the bench.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness yells during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL Stanley Cup first-round playoff series April 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason watches his team during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)