On Sunday, WNBA rookie stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese faced off in their second game this season. Clark and the Indiana Fever fought hard to win 91-83 against Reese and the Chicago Sky. But postgame fanfare has revolved around one moment in particular: Reese fouling Clark.
In the third quarter of the neck-and-neck game, Reese struck Clark in the head as she tried to block her rival’s layup with her arm, resulting in a foul. After a video review, officials upgraded Reese’s foul to a Flagrant 1, which means there was unnecessary contact against another player. Clark sank both of her free throws, cementing the Fever’s win. (Clark contributed 23 points overall, including eight rebounds and nine assists, while Reese finished out with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.)
In postgame interviews, Reese disagreed that the block had been anything other than a “basketball play” and criticized officials for unfair refereeing. “Going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle,” Reese said, according to ESPN. “I can’t control the refs. They affected the game a lot tonight … But y’all going to play that clip 20 times before Monday.”
Clark, for her part, seemed to agree with Reese, calling the block “just another part of basketball” and telling interviewers that Reese was “just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block.” “But yeah, it happens,” Clark said of the foul.
Reese and Clark have long denied rumors that there’s a personal beef between them, but their much-hyped on-court rivalry has drawn in fans since they were college athletes facing off at the 2023 NCAA women’s finals. Their rivalry has often highlighted the double standards Black women face in sports, including racist and misogynistic commentary from sports officials and X mobs alike. Earlier this month, Clark called it “disappointing” that online commenters were using her name to spew bigoted criticism at fellow WNBA players.
After Sunday’s game, Clark chalked up the outsize attention on her and Reese’s matchup to the “emotion and passion” they both play with. “We’re competitors, that’s the way the game should be,” Clark said. “It’s going to get a little feisty, it’s gonna get physical, but at the end of the day, both teams are just trying to win.”
