Back In The Day NBA

Old-School NBA Fan Ric Flair Now Captivated By Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark Phenomenon

Shandel Richardson

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair has long been a fan of the NBA.

He followed it when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was dominating with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was courtside when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were at the center of the league's universe. He was there for the transition from the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

Flair even still hangs with NBA players from that era, including Dennis Rodman. Despite his fandom, Flair may have found something even more entertaining.

It's called the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese phenomenon. Flair is among the millions who have jumped aboard the WNBA bandwagon because of Clark and Reese.

Here's what Flair posted recently on X, formerly Twitter: "As Someone Who Enjoys The @NBA , @KingJames, Michael Jordan, Wilt, Magic, etc. I’m Sitting Here Enjoying The Competition Between @CaitlinClark22 and @Reese10Angel. I’m Enjoying This Just As The World Is More Than The NBA. Angel, You Could Be A Supermodel, But You Choose To Play Basketball. And Caitlin, The World Is Yours! You Both Are So Special As Are All The Women In The . Congratulations For Stealing The Show, Stealing My Attention, And I’m Sure So Many People Around The World’s Attention! So Proud Of You Both And All You Women!"

Clark and Reese have revived the WNBA the way Bird and Magic did in the early `80s. There are so many similarities. Like Magic, Clark was the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever. Reese, who plays for the Chicago Sky, is Bird because she was considered the second-best player in the draft.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com