‘Angel Reese is not the villain in Caitlin Clark’s story’ Claims Jemele Hill

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark's tussle in their first game of the 2025 WNBA season has been propositioned as hatred.

‘Angel Reese is not the villain in Caitlin Clark’s story’ Claims Jemele Hill

Jemele Hill slams claim of Angel Reese hating Caitlin Clark (Image via FirstSportz)

The rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has reached the stage where even if they argue, it will be construed as being pure ‘hate’ against each other. Never once do anyone think that the two young superstars are ultra competitive athletes, who just want to win at all costs.

That is what brought the cockiness out of Caitlin Clark in the 2023 NCAA Final Four matchup. It was also the reason why Reese clapped back at Clark after winning the next championship game. Since then, the two have been pitted as rivals, even though both have been dumbfounded by the thought.

This season, the WNBA wanted to milk this rivalry to the maximum possible limit, and that is what led them to schedule 5 games between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. The first of which lived up to its billing and drew in more than 2 million viewers.

Once that game was over, the concept of ‘hate’ between them came back to dominate once former NFL QB Robert Griffin III claimed that Angel Reese proved through her retaliation after Caitlin Clark fouled her that she hated the Fever star. Now Jemele Hill believes he was wrong to insinuate that.

RGIII’s opinion wasn’t a sports take. He doesn’t know Angel Reese. He doesn’t know Caitlin Clark either. His observation that Reese hates Caitlin Clark isn’t about sports, but about something he senses is more personal…. Reese is not the villain in Clark’s story, no more than Caitlin Clark is the savior in hers.

Jemele Hill said on her podcast

She said on her podcast that it was just mere competitive battles between two players and nothing more. But to construe that as ‘hate’ took it too far, and blew everything out of proportion. She clarified that such battles are normal in the WNBA.

Sue Bird clarifies that WNBA clashes are not personal

WNBA legend Sue Bird was speaking with Taylor Rooks on B/R’s podcast X. The soon-to-be Amazon Prime host asked Bird if many believe fights or clashes in the WNBA are always personal, as fans or some in the media believe them to be.

All the little fights…. this has been in our league from the jump, and it doesn’t have some deeper meaning to it.

Sue Bird said

The 4-time WNBA champion added that these clashes have been happening in the WNBA for decades. That is due to the physical and highly competitive nature of the league. But she acknowledges that when anyone paints a picture on these skirmishes, it explodes.

With the heightened attention on the WNBA owing to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese‘s popularity, such incidents snowball into something that is often uncontrollable. But subsequent allegations of racial discrimination, and thereafter, an investigation, have managed to shift the narrative from basketball.

WNBA and Chicago Sky already feeling effect of playing Fever without Caitlin Clark

The Indiana Fever’s next clash with the Chicago Sky is on June 7th. Caitlin Clark is not expected to be available for that game as she is recovering from a quad injury. That has had an impact on ticket prices TickPick revealed that the get-in price fell from $86 before the injury to $25.

Angel Reese will not face Caitlin Clark in their 2nd game of this season
Angel Reese will not face Caitlin Clark in their 2nd game of this season (Image via Imago)

This proves that fans usually clamor to watch the reigning Rookie of the Year. Now that she will not feature, prices are falling as quite a few fans are selling off their tickets. It would have been an epic clash at the United Center, where the Sky usually do not play.

But now that she will not play, the dwindling prices will impact the Sky’s revenue from that game. Clark’s absence, though, could also help to slow down the noise that has engulfed women’s basketball since that tussle.

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