Chicago Sky has announced a new theme night next week with a nod to its ‘Bayou Barbie’ Angel Reese.
The rookie forward, who earned the nickname while playing in college at LSU, will face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever for the fourth time this season on Aug. 30.
In addition to the on-court action, the matchup will be promoted as ‘Barbie Night’ in association with Mattel.
In a post on X, Sky encouraged her fans to wear their “best pink Barbie.”
The team added in a Press release that the evening will feature a pre-game panel discussion, fan giveaways and special stadium decorations.
Angel Reese, nicknamed the ‘Bayou Barbie’ while in college, has been a hit with Sky fans this year.
She will face fellow rookie Caitlin Clark on August 30 at ‘Barbie Night.’
Additionally, the first 2,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a personalized Sherpa belt or Barbie-themed Hawaiian shirt.
“Barbie aligns perfectly with Sky’s mission to empower girls and women to explore limitless possibilities, and we can’t wait to bring inspiring content to fans,” said Tania Haladner, Chief Marketing Officer, Chicago Sky.
Since being recruited by Sky, Reese has also dubbed herself “Chi Barbie” as she seeks to adapt to her new surroundings.
“Some people that reached out to me, the Chicago love is deep and it’s going crazy,” she said in a TikTok. “So I’m Chi’s Barbie, I’m Baltimore’s Barbie, and I’ll always be Bayou’s Barbie.
She also wore custom pink Barbie-themed sneakers when Sky faced Fever on June 1.
Reese and Clark, who were named WNBA All-Stars earlier this season, have drawn tremendous attention to the league in their rookie seasons.
Reese previously wore these custom Barbie-themed shoes, designed by Marvin Baroota
Reese and Clark have faced each other three times this season, with Clark emerging victorious twice.
Fanatics, the league’s official retailer, reported a 1,000% increase in sales of player-specific merchandise. TMZwith Clark and Reese leading the pack at #1 and #2 respectively.
Additionally, in July, WNBA games averaged 1.32 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, nearly triple last season’s standard of 462,200 viewers.
Reese and Clark have faced each other three times so far this season, with Clark’s Fever emerging victorious in two of those encounters.
Reese notably cheered when Sky teammate Chennedy Carter tackled Clark to the ground in a June 1 game.
However, Reese seemed to cool things down when he joked that they could be friends “for a day” as All-Star teammates, and referenced how they might find themselves teaming up more in the future.
