Caitlin Clark defended rumored rival Angel Reese after being named Time’s Athlete of the Year.
In the profile published Tuesday, the 22-year-old Indiana Fever phenomenon slammed speculation that she and the Chicago Sky star had any issues on — or off — the court.
“I don’t get that at all,” Clark said of people pitting them against one another.
“We’re not best friends, by any means, but we’re very respectful of one another,” she continued. “Yes, we have had tremendous battles. But when have I ever guarded her? And when has she guarded me?”
The alleged rivalry began after Reese’s LSU team beat Clark’s Iowa squad in the 2023 national championship game.
In the final moments, Reese approached Clark and pointed to her ring finger. While Clark didn’t mind the innocent trash-talk, the move angered many social media users, who called Reese a “villain” — and worse.
“I didn’t think it was taunting,” Clark said of the gesture. “It really didn’t bother me.”
“It’s just like, ‘Why don’t you talk about them winning? Or the incredible run that we went on that nobody would have thought we would have ever gone on?’” she continued. “The only thing people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and made up, and then that has continued to be the case ever since.”
The manufactured rivalry bled into the athletes’ senior season as well. Iowa got the best of LSU during their highly anticipated Elite Eight rematch — which became the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history.
Yet things didn’t end there. The Fever selected Clark as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and Reese was taken off the board shortly after.
Less than two months later, the two college superstars’ had their first meeting as pros when the Fever hosted the Sky.
Although the Indiana-based team pulled out the nailbiting win, a controversial call clouded the game — with fans, once again, pitting the two against each other.
In the third quarter, Chennedy Carter delivered a hard hip-check to Clark, sending her to the floor. Reese got up from the bench and cheered on her teammate for the physical play, resulting in a barrage of hateful comments on social media.
Some people suggested that jealous players were targeting Clark due to her impact on the league, which the shooting guard denied.
“I never thought I was being targeted,” Clark told Time. “Obviously, that shouldn’t ever happen within a game. But basketball is physical. Your emotions can get the best of you. My emotions have gotten the best of me many times.”
As for Reese’s reaction, Clark said she didn’t see her celebration — but doubted there was malicious intent.
“I don’t even know if she really knew what happened,” Clark said. “Honestly, I don’t think she was cheering because somebody hit me. I really don’t think that would be the case. I hope not.”
While Reese declined to comment for the article, she previously discussed their highly scrutinized relationship during an interview with Complex.
“I think it’s just competition, it’s been competition since college,” she explained last month, noting that they have actually been facing off since “eighth or ninth grade.”
“People don’t know the legacy of us being able to play against each other for a really long time,” she said.
Reese said it was a classic case of people “putting two women against each other.”
“I think it’s been something that’s negative, but also positive,” she said. “I think it shines light on women’s basketball so I’ll take that of being able to be the person that gets the hate but I know that at the end of the day, I’m growing women’s basketball and helping women’s basketball.”
“It’s just basketball,” she added. “I don’t have any hard feelings towards her and she doesn’t have any hard feelings towards me.”
The two women even had a chance to don the same uniform during the 2024 WNBA All-Star weekend, with Reese telling reporters she had a “great” time playing alongside Clark.
‘[In] the future, we’re gonna be playing with each other a lot,” she said. “Hopefully in four years, we can be Olympians together.”
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