Angel Reese keeps fueling the controversy around Caitlin Clark in the WNBA.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark had a great rivalry in college basketball during the matchups between LSU and Iowa. Reese had her biggest victory in the final for the 2023 National Championship, while just a few months ago, Clark got her revenge in the Elite Eight matchup.

Now, everything has reached a new level after their first WNBA matchup. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, but the headlines were about the physicality against Clark, especially from Chennedy Carter.

The most surprising part was that, during the sequence, Reese was clearly seen applauding what later became a flagrant foul. From that moment on, fans and experts questioned Caitlin’s opponents for trying to intimidate the woman who has brought great benefits to the WNBA.

However, many players in the league continue to downplay Clark’s power and do not think she is the reason for the success, despite TV ratings and attendance records showing that the Fever star reaches levels comparable to the NBA.

Caitlin Clark has sparked a national debate around the WNBA (Getty Images)

Angel Reese has joined the voices arguing that the popularity of the WNBA has not risen solely because of Caitlin Clark’s impact. According to the Sky player, she also contributes to the spectacular numbers.

“I think so many people are watching women’s basketball right now. It all started from the national championship game. I’ve dealing with this for two years now. I’ll take the bad guy role and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates.

I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me, too. I want y’all to realize that. It’s not just because of one person (Caitlin Clark).”

Does WNBA Need to Change Its Media Policy?

While the WNBA does not allow media members into the locker room, Angel Reese was fined for not speaking to the media. Does this policy need a change given the eyes that are now on the league?

According to Reese, fans are coming to the arenas nationwide not just to see Clark and, in this narrative of heroine and villain, she is ready to face the consequences.

“People are talking about women’s basketball, you never would think they’d be talking about women’s basketball. People are pulling up to games.
We got celebrities coming to games and sold-out arenas just because of one single game. Just looking at that, I’ll take that role.

A lot of us have done so much for this game. There are many players in this league that have deserved this for a really long time.”