Clark–Reese rivalry

Clark and Reese first met on the court on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, playing for All Iowa Attack and Team Takeover, respectively.{{cite web |last1=Laase |first1=Eden |title=Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, an unlikely partnership |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/caitlin-clark-and-angel-reese-an-unlikely-partnership-022821608.html |publisher=Yahoo Sports |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=April 1, 2024}} Reese was considered the number two player in her high school class by ESPN, while Clark was ranked number four in the same class.{{cite web |title=2020 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings |url=https://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/rankings/_/class/2020 |publisher=ESPN |access-date=March 22, 2025 }} They first played against each other during Big Ten play in their first two college seasons, with Reese's Maryland team defeating Clark's Iowa team in all three meetings.{{cite web |last1=Maloney |first1=Jack |title=Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese: A look back at the WNBA rookies' collegiate rivalry through the years |url=https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/caitlin-clark-vs-angel-reese-a-look-back-at-the-wnba-rookies-collegiate-rivalry-through-the-years/ |publisher=CBS Sports |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=June 14, 2024}}

In the 2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game, Reese led LSU to its first national title, defeating Clark's Iowa team, and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. With an average of 9.9 million viewers, it became the most-watched women's college basketball game in history.{{cite web |title=LSU-Iowa NCAA women's championship game draws record TV audience |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36060079/lsu-iowa-ncaa-women-title-game-draws-record-tv-audience |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=April 3, 2023}}

At the end of the game, Reese taunted Clark making the "you can't see me" gesture. It was widely alleged in sports media that Clark had made the same gesture to opponents earlier in the tournament, in Iowa's Elite Eight game against Louisville, though Louisville's Hailey Van Lith rejected the allegation, stating that, actually, Clark had "momentarily" gestured to Iowa’s strength coach.{{cite news|first=Patrick |last=Andres |title=LSU’s Hailey Van Lith Says Media Got Caitlin Clark’s Taunting Gesture All Wrong|url=https://www.si.com/college/2023/06/12/lsu-hailey-van-lith-caitlin-clark-taunting-gesture |website=Sports Illustrated |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date= June 12, 2023}} In the title game, Reese also pointed to her ring finger in reference to LSU's imminent championship ring.{{cite web |last1=Reineking |first1=Jim |title=Angel Reese taunts Caitlin Clark during LSU's women's NCAA Tournament title win over Iowa |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2023/04/02/caitlin-clark-taunted-angel-reese-during-lsu-championship-win/11589919002/ |website=USA Today |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=April 2, 2023}} Following the game, Reese faced substantial criticism for perceived unsportsmanlike behavior, while many, including Clark defended Reese and rejected the criticism, characterizing Reese's demeanor as coming from the "competitive nature" of the game.{{cite web |last1=Morse |first1=Ben |date=April 5, 2023 |title=Caitlin Clark defends Angel Reese, says she shouldn’t be ‘criticized’ for gesture directed toward her |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/05/sport/caitlin-clark-defend-angel-reese-gesture-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=March 22, 2025 |publisher=CNN}}

The Reese taunt has been denoted by the media as the beginning of a rivalry between her and Clark.{{cite web |last1=Costabile |first1=Annie |title=The Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark rivalry: From a moment to momentous |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky-and-wnba/2024/05/31/the-angel-reese-caitlin-clark-rivalry-from-a-moment-to-momentous |website=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=May 31, 2024}}

The final college meeting between Clark and Reese took place in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. Clark recorded 41 points and 12 assists, leading Iowa to a win over LSU, while Reese had 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out. At the time, the game was the most-watched women's college basketball game in history, with an average of 12.3 million viewers tuning in at any time.{{cite web |last1=Chappell |first1=Bill |title=Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's LSU-Iowa rematch nets a record audience for ESPN |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/04/03/1242484445/caitlin-clark-angel-reese-lsu-iowa-viewership-record-espn |publisher=NPR |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=April 3, 2024}}

Both players were first-round picks in the 2024 WNBA draft, with Clark being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever and Reese being selected seventh by the Chicago Sky.{{cite web |last1=Archie |first1=Ayana |title=Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are selected in the first round of the WNBA draft |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/04/16/1244988260/caitlin-clark-angel-reese-wnba-draft |publisher=NPR |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=April 16, 2024}}

On June 1, 2024, they met for the first time in the WNBA, with the Fever defeating the Sky. During the game, Reese applauded on the bench when Sky guard Chennedy Carter knocked Clark to the floor on an inbounds play, although it was not clear why exactly she clapped at Carter.{{Cite web |last=Curtis |first=Charles |title=Don't read too much into Angel Reese cheering on Chennedy Carter after Caitlin Clark cheap shot |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2024/06/02/caitlin-clark-chennedy-carter-angel-reese-fever-sky/73947286007/ |access-date=March 22, 2025 |website=For The Win |language=en-US}} After the game, Reese refused to appear in the regular press conference and was fined $1,000 for not making herself available to the media.{{cite web |last1=Gardner |first1=Steve |title=WNBA upgrades hard hit on Caitlin Clark, fines Angel Reese for media violation |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2024/06/02/caitlin-clark-foul-upgraded-flagrant-angel-reese-fine-media-policy/73948283007/ |website=USA Today |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=June 2, 2024}} Veteran sportcaster Bob Costas, commenting on the June 2024 WNBA game between Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, pointed out that a flagrant foul committed against Reese less than a week earlier had received very little media attention because both Reese and the player who fouled her were black, and, therefore, the incident did not "spark as much conversation." CNN sports journalist Cari Champion agreed, thanking Costas for graciously acknowledging that fouls like Carter's have been happening since the league's inception. Champion went on to claim that while "no one cared about the WNBA when women of a certain color [i.e. black women] were beating up and bruising each other," now "we have this star, this woman [Clark] that people love, [and] they want to protect her."{{Cite web |last=Audilet |first=Matt |date=2024-06-04 |title=Bob Costas Delivers Bold Take on Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese |url=https://athlonsports.com/wnba/bob-costas-delivers-bold-take-on-caitlin-clark-angel-reese |access-date=March 22, 2025 |website=Athlon Sports |language=en}}

Speaking to the media three days after the game, Reese commented on the WNBA's recent "surge in popularity," stating that "the reason [more people are] watching women's basketball is not just because of one person."{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Andrew |title=WNBA upgrades hard hit on Caitlin Clark, fines Angel Reese for media violation |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10123469-angel-reese-caitlin-clark-not-the-only-wnba-draw-fans-watching-because-of-me-too |website=Bleacher Report |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=June 4, 2024}}

{{See also|Caitlin Clark effect}}

In a discussion about the impact on the WNBA of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and others, white sports analyst Pat McAfee called Clark a "white bitch." He subsequently apologized, claiming he was trying to explain that the player deserves "more credit than other newcomers for the league's increased popularity."{{cite news|date=June 4, 2024 |title=Citrus Canker Lawsuit Headed Back to Trial |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/articles/cv22pypq75lo|work=BBC|access-date=April 1, 2015}}

On March 25, 2025, ESPN basketball analyst and former Georgetown Hoyas player Monica McNutt, while interviewed by the BBC's Katty Kay about the increase in popularity of the WNBA, attributed most of it to the "exciting" rivalry between Reese and Clark. She added, "I think Caitlin represented, and again, some of this to me probably is not fair to her, because it was not anything that she said or was truly based on her personality, but she [is] a white girl from the middle of America."{{cite news |last=Kay |first=Katty|date=March 25, 2025 |title=ESPN's Monica McNutt on the future of women's college basketball after Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250325-womens-college-basketball-monica-mcnutt-interview-katty-kay|work=BBC |access-date=April 3, 2025}}

After the controversies raised in the media on Iowa's final game against LSU, some commentators asserted that Reese faced harsher criticism for her taunts because she is black, while Clark, who is white, did not receive the same level of scrutiny.{{cite web |last1=Rosenblatt |first1=Kalhan |date=April 3, 2023 |title=Angel Reese led LSU to a championship, but all everyone can talk about is her gestures at Caitlin Clark |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/criticisms-lsus-angel-reese-called-racist-social-media-ncaa-championsh-rcna77917 |access-date=March 22, 2025 |publisher=NBC News}}

Clark's rise in popularity and her subsequent sponsorship deals were attributed by former ESPN commentator Jemele Hill as due in part to her "race and sexuality," beyond the athlete's on-the-court achievements. Hill opined that anyone who did not say it would be "naive."{{cite web |last1=Hightower |first1=Kyle |date=May 13, 2024 |title=Caitlin Clark involuntarily sparks talks of race and double standards in sports |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/sports/caitlin-clark-larry-bird-race-nba-wnba/3367193/ |access-date=March 23, 2025 |work=NBC10 Boston}} Las Vegas Aces star player A'ja Wilson, asked by the media about the potential racial element in Clark's endorsements, responded that, indeed, it is a "matter of black and white," because, she claimed, "you can be top notch at what you are as a black woman [basketball player], but yet maybe that's something that people don't want to see [in consumer products]." Wilson said the whole situation makes her "blood boil," because she sees all the hard work put in by black women "swept underneath the rug."{{cite news |agency=Associated Press|date=May 23, 2024|title=The race question follows Caitlin Clark to the WNBA: ‘Boils my blood’ |url=https://nypost.com/2024/05/13/sports/race-question-follows-caitlin-clark-to-the-wnba/ |work=New York Post |access-date=March 23, 2025}} Victoria Jackson, sports historian and associate professor of history at Arizona State University, commented that "there are racial reasons for why Clark has been able to kind of break off into a completely different stratosphere from players that came before her." About Clark being characterized as a "generational talent," professor Jackson remarked that, "athletes [who] could be placed in that category [and] who have been Black women have not had that sort of gushing attention."

Veteran sportcaster Bob Costas, commenting on the June 2024 Fever-Sky game, in Outkick, pointed out that a flagrant foul committed against Reese less than a week earlier received very little media attention because both Reese and the player who fouled her are black, and, therefore, the incident did not "spark as much conversation."{{Cite web |last=Audilet |first=Matt |date=2024-06-04 |title=Bob Costas Delivers Bold Take on Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese |url=https://athlonsports.com/wnba/bob-costas-delivers-bold-take-on-caitlin-clark-angel-reese |access-date=March 22, 2025 |website=Athlon Sports |language=en}} Costas added that "the second-most famous player to the average, non-initiated WNBA fan right now is Angel Reese."{{cite news |last=Zaksheske |first=Dan |date=June 6, 2024|title=Bob Costas talks Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and race in the WNBA |url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/bob-costas-talks-caitlin-clark-angel-reese-race-wnba|work=Fox News |access-date=April 1, 2025}} CNN sports journalist Cari Champion agreed, and thanked Costas for being gracious enough to acknowledge that fouls like Carter's have been happening since the league's inception. Champion went on to claim that while "no one cared about the WNBA when women of a certain color [i.e. black women] were beating up and bruising each other," now "we have this star, this woman [Calark] that people love, [and] they want to protect her."

A March 2025 published study by a PhD candidate in Rice University, examined reactions in "fan discourse" related to, on one hand, Clark's hand gesture made during the Elite Eight game against LSU, which did not meet "much controversy," and, on the other hand, to Reese's similar gesture in the closing moments of the national, college title game, which was met with a "starkly different" reaction. The study analyzed some 700,000 tweets before, during, and after the two incidents, and claimed that public reactions were "not just different but racialized."{{Cite web |last=Cosley Trigg |first=Kat |date=March 20, 2025 |title=Study suggests racial bias in Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark debate, examines how social media is changing the game |url=https://news.rice.edu/news/2025/study-suggests-racial-bias-angel-reese-caitlin-clark-debate-examines-how-social-media |access-date=March 22, 2025 |publisher=Rice University |language=en}}

Time magazine's Athlete of the Year award to Caitlin Clark{{cite news |last= Gregory |first=Sean |date=December 10, 2024 |title=2024 Athlete of the Year : Caitlin Clark |url=https://time.com/7200904/athlete-of-the-year-2024-caitlin-clark/ |work=Time |access-date=March 24, 2025}} caused Atlanta Black Star to report "outrage" among fans who see "white privilege at its height" when athletes such as artistic gymnast Simone Biles, winner of 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, are not considered for the award.{{cite news |last1= Duncan-Smith|first1=Nicole|date=December 11, 2024 |title='White Privilege at Its Height': Simone Biles Fans Outraged After Caitlin Clark Was Named 2024’s Athlete of the Year, WNBA Star Breaks Silence TIME Magazine Athlete of the Year award|url=https://atlantablackstar.com/2024/12/11/simone-biles-fans-outraged-caitlin-clark-athlete-of-the-year/|work=Atlanta Black Star |access-date=March 25, 2025}} Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson stated she disapproves of Clark being named Athlete of the Year and would have preferred the award to be given to the WNBA "as a whole." For the league's rise in popularity, she said that "it’s not just [because of] Caitlin Clark, it’s also [because of Angel] Reese."{{cite news |last1= Peterson|first1=Chloe |date=December 13, 2024 |title=WNBA owner says league, not Caitlin Clark, should have been TIME magazine Athlete of Year|url=https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2024/12/13/mystics-owner-sheila-johnson-says-wnba-not-caitlin-clark-should-be-time-athlete-of-year/76963306007/|work=Indianapolis Star |access-date=March 24, 2025}}{{cite news |last1= Sasay-Wada|first1=Johannes |date=December 13, 2024 |title=Caitlin Clark should not have been singled out by Time, says Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/13/sport/sheila-johnson-caitlin-clark-time-magazine-spt-intl/index.html|work=CNN |access-date=March 25, 2025}}

Clark, for her part, stated that she's "cognizant of the racial underpinnings of her stardom," adding:

I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.

Her remarks were met with a negative reaction from commentators{{cite news |last= Thompson |first=Jackson |date=December 13, 2024|title=Caitlin Clark White privilege comment sparks intense, personal argument between Riley Gaines and Jemele Hill|url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/caitlin-clark-white-privilege-comment-sparks-personal-argument-between-riley-gaines-jemele-hill|work=Fox News |access-date=March 24, 2025}} such as Outkick host and women's sports activist Riley Gaines who expressed her "disappointment in Clark," saying she "missed the mark." Gaines added that "Clark needed to...remain neutral.”{{cite news |last= Notheis|first=Asher|date=December 11, 2024|title=Caitlin Clark says she has privilege ‘as a white person’ in the WNBA|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3257383/caitlin-clark-white-privilege-wnba-time-magazine/|work=Washington Examiner |access-date=March 24, 2025}} Fox News' Megyn Kelly accused Clark of making "condescending" and "fake" comments about "white privilege."{{cite news |last= Zimmerman |first= Will |date=December 11, 2024|title=Megyn Kelly disgusted by Caitlin Clark for ‘condescending, fake’ white privilege comments |url=https://nypost.com/2024/12/11/sports/megyn-kelly-blasts-caitlin-clark-for-white-privilege-comments/|work=New York Post |access-date=March 24, 2025}} Asked about the reaction to her comments, Clark said her "best skill is blocking out the noise."

Reese has often been characterized in the media as the antagonist in the rivalry, a role she has accepted, in order, as she has stated, to "generate more interest in women's basketball," adding that she's willing to "take the bad guy role... and be that for my teammates."{{cite web |last1=Dotson |first1=Kevin |title=Chicago Sky star Angel Reese on Caitlin Clark rivalry: 'I'll take the bad guy role' |url= https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/04/sport/angel-reese-caitlin-clark-rivalry-spt-intl/index.html|publisher=CNN |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=June 4, 2024}}

Some journalists have criticized and dispute the accuracy of her portrayal as the "villain" in the rivalry.{{cite web |last1=Armour |first1=Nancy |title=Angel Reese is not the villain she's been made out to be |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2024/06/05/angel-reese-caitlin-clark/73980735007/ |website=USA Today |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=June 5, 2024}} though Reese herself stated she's "OK with it [the villain portrayal]" and "appreciative to be a part of this journey,” since "everybody wants this [increased spotlight]."{{cite web |last1=Leuzzi |first1=John |title=Angel Reese okay with 'bad guy' role in WNBA after Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2024/06/03/angel-reese-wnba-fan-growth-caitlin-clark/73965641007/ |website=USA Today |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=June 3, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Buckner |first1=Candace |title=Angel Reese is too good to be the bad guy |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/07/10/angel-reese-villain-caitlin-clark/ |website=The Washington Post |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=July 10, 2024}} Reese and Clark have both publicly downplayed the perceived rivalry. After the 2023 NCAA championship game, Clark described herself as a fan of Reese, while Reese praised Clark, saying she loves her and hopes they can be teammates in the future.{{cite web |last1=Diaz |first1=Cory |title=LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese 'loves' Iowa's Caitlin Clark, hopes they team up |url=https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/lsu/2023/10/10/lsu-womens-basketball-angel-reese-caitlin-clark-beef/71085623007/ |website=The Daily Advertiser |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=October 10, 2023}} Before their meeting in the 2024 NCAA tournament, Reese clarified that the rivalry was "not personal," and both characterized their relationship as being driven by competition.{{cite web |last1=Adelson |first1=Andrea |title=Angel Reese on Caitlin Clark: We 'don't hate each other' |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39846326/angel-reese-caitlin-clark-hate-other |publisher=ESPN |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=March 31, 2024}} Later that year, Clark discussed her relationship with Reese, saying "We're not best friends, by any means, but we're very respectful of one another."{{cite web |last1=Walsh |first1=Kathleen |title=Caitlin Clark Says She and Angel Reese ‘Aren’t Best Friends’ |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/caitlin-clark-says-she-angel-reese-arent-best-friends |website=Glamour |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=December 10, 2024}}

The Clark–Reese rivalry has drawn comparisons to the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, which helped popularize the NBA in the 1980s. Analysts have noted both rivalries' impact on television viewership and attendance, as well as their racial undertones.{{cite web |last1=Uitti |first1=Jacob |title=Race, celebrity and greatness: Is Caitlin Clark v Angel Reese really the WNBA’s Magic v Bird? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jun/26/race-celebrity-and-greatness-is-caitlin-clark-v-angel-reese-really-the-wnbas-magic-v-bird |website=The Guardian |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=June 26, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Hightower |first=Kyle|date=May 12, 2024|title=Caitlin Clark, much like Larry Bird, the focus of talks about race and double standards in sports|url=https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-race-women-college-basketball-b277e81e47c8d9ecc6554720b1a35065 |work=Associated Press |access-date=March 24, 2025}}

Asked about the rivalry's "dark undertones" during an appearance on CNBC program Power Lunch, in 2024, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert praised the rivalry for "drawing attention to the league" and "eliminating apathy in the WNBA." She was criticized by Women's National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Jackson, as well as by other WNBA players, for not addressing the ongoing abusive discourse. Commissioner Engelbert subsequently posted a more direct response to the "hateful online rhetoric."{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=David K. |title=WNBA chief clarifies she's opposed to 'hate or racism' after response on social media abuse draws player scorn |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wnba-chief-clarifies-opposed-hate-racism-response-social-media-abuse-d-rcna170649 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=March 22, 2025 |date=September 11, 2024}}

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