Angel Reese Stops Reporter Bringing Back Last Season’s Caitlin Clark Popularity Comparisons

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will resume their rivalry and play each other five times in the upcoming 2025 WNBA season.

Angel Reese Stops Reporter Bringing Back Last Season’s Caitlin Clark Popularity Comparisons

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark rivalry will be the focus of upcoming WNBA season (Image via FirstSportz)

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have been pitted as rivals ever since the two clashed in the 2023 NCAA Championship. Now in the WNBA, both are again being pitted as rivals, and the league is trying to take advantage of it by scheduling no less than five regular-season games for the upcoming season.

No matter how many times either of them clarifies that they are not rivals, fans and media members have continued to push the narrative of their rivalry in order to gain eyeballs and attention. The battles against each other have generated a narration that is here to stay.

Both players had a role, either directly or indirectly, in creating this rivalry. Reese, for instance, harped about how she was also instrumental in helping bring all that attention to women’s basketball. She believed she should also be credited for all the transformational changes.

Going by NBA legend Magic Johnson‘s words, Clark and Reese are just like he was a rival with Larry Bird. Going by that logic and Reese’s claims, a reporter at the Chicago Sky media session asked the recently turned 23-year-old this:

Last year, you made a powerful statement saying that the reason people are watching women’s basketball is not just because of one player, but because of you, too. A year later, do you feel like you….

A reporter asked Angel Reese

As soon as he was about to ask her opinion on that matter, a year after that claim, Angel Reese said into the mic:

Next question.

Angel Reees interrupted the question

The Chicago Sky star did not seem to want to broach that subject again. She remembers all too well how her comments last season turned out. She did not want to say anything to start another firestorm in the media.

Angel Reese is trying to avoid setting off another media storm

The Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark rivalry has split WNBA fans. Instead of elevating both sides, social media is full of narratives where they are trying to throw slander at either of them. This might end up stunting the growth of the league.

Maybe Angel Reese already knows that and stopped that reporter from completing his question to send a message that she will not be engaging in such narratives this season. She spoke about how the world has been trying to pit her and Clark against each other.

Both players have talked about how they are not rivals, but understand the world wants to feed off that so-called rivalry. But so far, they have managed to avoid talking about each other and are taking a more mature approach.

But the league knows that they have two of the most competitive young women amongst them. When the ball tips off, the two forget about all the mature greetings and go hard at each other’s teams. Their upcoming games will show if they can keep their competitiveness to themselves or feed off it.

Reese and Caitlin Clark to open their sophomore season against each other

The WNBA knows all this and has scheduled five games between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. Three games will be at the Fever’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse, while the other two will be at the Chicago Bulls’ home arena, the United Center.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark to open WNBA season against each other
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark to open WNBA season against each other (Image via Open Source/X)

This means more than 17,000 will watch the two most popular women’s basketball players go at each other. Last season, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese‘s individual performances were the talking point. This season, both their respective teams are looking to battle deep into the playoffs.

With team performance as a priority, both players will be cheering on every minute detail. Last season, Reese cheered on when Chennedy Carter bodychecked Clark. It was seen as a mark of disrespect from the former LSU star.

If Clark brings out her trash talk, taunts, and crowd hyping actions, so will Reese. That could build another layer on their so-called rivalry. Basketball fans and the media will be looking for such instances, as they will not be able to hide it when the first game tips off on May 17th.

Also Read: