The “rivalry” between Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese has been the subject of incessant discussion on social media and the internet, and it has intensified once more. Reese and Clark have both been chosen for the WNBA All-Star game, where they will play for the same squad against the USA Women’s National team. The rookies’ remarks have brought up issues with their respective mindsets.
Reactions to Sky’s Angel Reese and Fever’s Caitlin Clark are different
In a ClutchPoints Instagram post, parts of two quotes from Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were highlighted. Clark mentioned being “excited to share the court honestly with everybody,” while Reese’s highlighted quote was “everybody can wear their get-along shirts for one day at least,” as reported by Chloe Peterson, referring to the fierce competition in the WNBA regular season.
This sparked mixed reactions from fans and observers of the WNBA. Some criticized Reese for her attitude, while others dismissed it as not a big deal. One user, “ash_reefa2x,” commented under the ClutchPoints post, “Yeah I can’t defend shorty no more, her attitude stinks.”
Another user, “p0sta,” accused Reese of playing up the “villain” role, making Clark appear as the “hero” to some people. Reese and Clark have been linked since their college days, where Clark’s Iowa and Reese’s LSU had memorable clashes in consecutive years during the national tournament, specifically in the national championship and Elite Eight.
“Angel Reese swears she’s the villain and thinks she’s ‘built for this,’ but will get in front of the world and cry and play victim like she did after losing in the Elite 8,” the Instagram user commented.
Reese said herself that she is glad to take “villain role”
Sky forward Angel Reese has acknowledged her role as the “villain” amid the growing popularity of women’s basketball. According to CNN, she emphasized that the attention on the sport isn’t due to just one individual, clearly referencing the No. 1 overall pick in the latest WNBA Draft.
“People are pulling up to games, we got celebrities coming to games, sold-out arenas, just because of [the 2023 NCAA championship game],” Reese said. “And just looking at that, I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role, and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates.”
Reese added, “I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me too,’ and I want y’all to realize that.”
Fans on social media defending Reese from the negativity
However, not all reactions were negative toward Angel Reese, who is averaging 13.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Some users defended her statements. One user, “dimitri.erv,” pointed out a double standard between the WNBA and NBA.
“She’s intense,” the user said. “Same people who complain about NBA players being too buddy buddy complaining about her attitude. The internet really is a miserable place.”
Another user, “itsmorethanaparty,” suggested that the quote might have been taken out of context, indicating it could have been sarcastic. “See some of y’all are a bit delayed…CLEARLY she’s being sarcastic,” the user commented.
Clark shares how special it will be to team up with Reese
Looking at the full quotes, it’s clear that both players are excited to team up for the first time, having previously been seen as rookie rivals. Caitlin Clark expressed her enthusiasm about teaming up with Reese, saying it will “be fun” to “share this experience” with her, according to ClutchPoints’ Fever reporter Matthew Byrne.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be fun,” Clark said Friday. “I think obviously as two rookies, getting to share this experience with one another for the first time—it’s super rare to be here as a rookie. And then to have two of us here, I think it’s really great overall. Obviously, I think the fans are going to really be excited about it, but I’m excited to share the court honestly with everybody. Meeting new people, this is my first experience here, and just getting to know them over the course of the weekend and enjoying the experience.”
Angel Reese hopes more team ups with Caitlin Clark come in the future
Angel Reese also shared her thoughts on teaming up with Caitlin Clark, addressing those who think she is playing the “victim” and suggesting they might not have the full picture. She expressed excitement about the opportunity, calling it “really cool” for the two rookie phenoms to be on the same team. She also mentioned her hopes for them to “be Olympians together too” in 2028, during a conversation with Malika Andrews of ESPN.
“It’s gonna be really cool. I know so many fans are gonna come out to watch both of us, but I know a lot of people are just gonna be able to come to Phoenix,” Reese said.
“I’m sure it’s already sold out,” Reese continued. “So being able to be in that environment, we’re gonna be playing together for a while, so this is not gonna be the first time. Hopefully in 2028 we will be Olympians together too, so being able to enjoy this… I’m going to Paris too to go watch the Olympics. I’m excited for that too.”
Along with Reese’s impressive statistics, Caitlin Clark is averaging 17.1 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc. The WNBA All-Star game is set to take place Saturday night, featuring Reese, Clark, and others on Team WNBA as they face off against the USA women’s basketball team filled with top stars.