Chicago Sky announce Angel Reese ‘Barbie night’ for next Caitlin Clark game with the two WNBA rivals facing off again next week

The Chicago Sky have announced a new theme night next week with a nod to their ‘Bayou Barbie’ Angel Reese.  The rookie forward, who gave herself the nickname while playing in college at LSU, is set to take on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever for a fourth time this season on August 30.  And aside from the on-court action, the matchup is being promoted as ‘Barbie Night’ in partnership with Mattel.

In a post to X, the Sky encouraged their fans to wear their ‘best Barbie pink.’  The team added in a press release that the night will feature a pre-game panel discussion, fan giveaways and special arena decorations.

Additionally, the first 2,000 fans to enter the arena will receive a custom sherpa belt bag or Hawaiian shirt in the Barbie theme.  ‘Barbie aligns perfectly with the Sky’s mission to empower girls and women to explore limitless possibilities, and we can’t wait to bring inspiring content to fans,’ Tania Haladner, the Chicago Sky’s chief marketing officer, said.

Since she was drafted by the Sky, Reese also dubbed herself the ‘Chi Barbie’ as she looked to settle into her new surroundings.  ‘Some people that reached out to me, the love from Chicago is running deep and going crazy,’ she said in a TikTok. ‘So I’m the Chi Barbie, the Baltimore Barbie and I am always gonna be the Bayou Barbie.  Reese and Clark, who were both named WNBA All-Stars earlier this season, have been massive drivers of eyeballs to the league in their rookie seasons.

Fanatics – the official retailer of the league – reported a 1000% increase in player-specific merch sales to TMZ, with Clark and Reese leading the pack in No 1 and 2 respectively.  Additionally, as of July, WNBA games were averaging 1.32 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and CBS – a figure nearly triple last season’s standard of 462,200 viewers.

Reese and Clark have faced off three times thus far this season, with Clark’s Fever coming out on top in two of those meetings.  Notably, Reese cheered as her Sky teammate Chennedy Carter bodychecked Clark to the ground in a June 1 game.  However, Reese seemed to lower the temperature when she joked that they could be friends ‘for one day’ as All-Star teammates, and referenced how they could find themselves teaming up more in the future.