WNBA fans flock to live broadcast of Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso’s preseason debut amid streaming issue
Just weeks after being drafted, former college basketball stars Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso made their long-awaited WNBA debuts.
Reese, Cardoso and the rest of their Chicago Sky teammates traveled to Minnesota for a preseason showdown with the Lynx. But fans hoping to watch the contest through the WNBA app were disappointed to learn that the platform was unable to stream the game.
The league’s app incorrectly listed the game as available to watch, causing confusion. The WNBA later clarified that only Caitlin Clark’s debut with the Indiana Fever was being broadcast.
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Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky before the game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 3, 2024, at the Target Center in Minneapolis. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
But a social media user came to the rescue and started an impromptu livestream.
“Do you want me to try to stream the game here?” @heyheyitsalli asked on X, formerly Twitter. “No promises about quality, but I can try.”
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Viewership numbers on the live stream varied, but on Saturday the video showed around 434,000 total views. The X user previously posted a screenshot showing that the stream peaked at 173,381 live viewers.
Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky shoots a free throw against the Minnesota Lynx on May 3, 2024 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Shortly after the Lynx’s 92-81 win over the Sky, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve joked that the social media user who streamed the game should receive some monetary compensation for her efforts.
“Anyone you saw should send the person three dollars, I don’t even know who it is,” Reeve said. “I guess what I would say is that growth is happening very quickly. It’s very accelerated. And I’ve been saying it in our own organization: that business as usual is not going to work anymore.”.
“You will be left behind and this is an example.”
Kamilla Cardoso of the Chicago Sky arrives at the stadium before the game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 3, 2024 in Minneapolis. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Reeve also acknowledged that it made sense for Clark’s preseason debut to take priority. He suggested that the excitement around Clark and other players has a trickle-down effect, ultimately working as a benefit to the “general excitement” across the league.
“People want to see that, but they also want to see that it’s not just about Caitlin,” Reeve said. “This is not Caitlin’s fault in any way. It’s more, you know, the recognition that there is a general enthusiasm about the WNBA in ways that we haven’t seen before. And so we have to capitalize to really make sure that this is a motion”. “.
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Reese finished the game with 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes. Cardoso scored six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.
Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said she was pleased with the rookies’ debut.
“This is a learning process for all of us… And we’re going through that process the right way,” he said. “We have our leaders leading them, pulling them. Keeping them confident. That’s what matters. So we’re in a great place, and they’re in a tremendous place.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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