Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are already on top of the WNBA.
Simply mentioning them produces passion, debate and fierce opinion.
Clark, in particular, has become a lightning rod for praise and criticism, despite the fact that she’s the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year.
The drama returns on Saturday when Clark’s Indiana Fever host Reese’s Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I think where people get upset is, as a player you don’t want to be forgotten,” NBA legend and TNT commentator Shaquille O’Neal said on The Big Podcast.
He added: “I call it stealing props. … That’s professional jealousy.”
Long before Clark and Reese became WNBA rivals, they were AAU friends and college competitors.
Reese even went out of her way to praise Clark before they both went pro.
“Oh my gosh, I love Caitlin. We’ve been competing since we were in AAU,” Reese said in 2023. “It was always fun and it was always competitive.
“One day, hopefully, me and her could even be teammates. Because she is a great player, and a great shooter and a great person and great teammate.”
Reese also foreshadowed what she would eventually face in the WNBA.
“It’s kind of hard with a lot of pressure on me being No 2,” Reese said in 2019.
“It’s kind of hard sometimes because it’s like everybody wants you to have a perfect game and I always can’t have a perfect game.”
youtube@courtsideClark put up big numbers in AAU ball[/caption] youtube@rosestvReese was also a top player[/caption] GettyTheir friendship changed in the NCAA championship game[/caption]An intense NCAA women’s national championship matchup in 2023 saw the first peak of Clark’s name and helped put Reese on the national map.
When Reese boldly taunted Clark in LSU’s 102-85 win, fans were divided between taking up for the future WNBA No. 1 pick or siding with Reese, who was eventually taken at No. 7 by the Sky.
Clark and Iowa got on-court revenge in the 2024 Elite 8, as Clark dropped in 41 points while Reese produced a double-double of 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out.
The national championship rematch created history, as 12.3 million viewers made it the most-viewed college basketball game ever on ESPN.
“It’s just great for the sport, just being able to be a part of history. Like I said, no matter which way it went tonight, I know this was going to be a night for the ages,” Reese said.
“Just being able to be a part of history is great. Playing against another great player, of course, is always amazing.”
Clark celebrated her big win over LSU — and Reese.
“When you are playing a team like LSU, they are never out of the game,” Clark said. “No matter what the time or score is, do not start celebrating or get too emotional. They are going to fight until the end.”
When Clark and Reese met again in the pros for first time, Indiana won 71-70.
But the real story became the national controversy that followed, after Clark received a hard shoulder shot from Chicago’s Chennedy Carter before an inbound pass.
Carter initially refused to any questions about Clark.
Reese backed her new WNBA teammate, while the sports world reignited a debate that’s still at full flame.
Reese and Clark enjoyed strong rookie seasons“I wasn’t expecting it,” Clark said about the foul.
“It is what it is. It’s a physical game. Go make the free throw and execute on offense, and I feel like that’s kind of what we did.”
Before they represented opposite sides in an endless debate, Reese was able to put their relationship in perspective.
The world normally needs a “positive” character and a “negative” one in a story, Reese said at LSU.
Depending on who you root for, Clark and Reese fill different public roles in 2025 as the WNBA returns.
“Understanding that the world is going to have a good girl and a bad girl,” Reese said. “Just understanding that that’s just what it is and it’s just going to be what it is.
“I’ll take that I’m going to be the bad guy. But I know I’ve grown women’s basketball and I know I’m being positive and I know that I’ve inspired people.
“Me and Caitlin, we we’ve been cool. We’ve never had any issues.”
That was a much different story the first time Reese and Clark met in the pros.
The world has been debating their fallout since, and they’ll soon meet again on Clark’s home court.
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