Angel Reese would “definitely” play on same team as Caitlin Clark despite rookie rivalry
Angel Reese’s contentious rivalry with Caitlin Clark hasn’t stopped her from imagining a star-studded partnership between the two rookies.
Among the sporting world’s most popular stars, Angel Reese provided her hotly-anticipated insight on a variety of topics during the debut episode of her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast Thursday.
A partnership between Playmaker and Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Podcast Network, Reese used her new platform to manifest a future partnership with Caitlin Clark, despite the deep-seated rivalry forming between the two rookie superstars.
“We’re gonna play on the same team one day, I’m sure. We’re gonna definitely play on the same team one day,” said Reese.
Reese and Clark have been at odds throughout women’s basketball’s recent surge in popularity, first meeting in the 2023 NCAA National Championship Game. The March Madness finale in Dallas averaged 9.9 million viewers, easily shattering the event’s all-time television audience, as tournament MVP Reese led LSU past Iowa, 102-85.
The celebrity duo met again a year later in the Elite Eight, where Clark exacted her revenge in front of another historic TV audience that peaked at over 16 million viewers. The Hawkeyes would ultimately come to an end against dynastic titans South Carolina, which became the fifth-most watched non-football event on ESPN over the past five years.
Each selected in the first round of April’s WNBA Draft, Clark and Reese continued their rivalry on the professional stage, meeting three times before the Olympic break in August for the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, respectively. Tensions erupted during their opening matchup, where Reese applauded the efforts of Chennedy Carter after she committed a flagrant foul against the Fever point guard.
A few games later on June 16, Reese would receive a flagrant of her own after a reckless block attempt connected with Clark’s head. These incidents sparked a flurry of outrage against the star forward, and while making sure to absolve Clark of any wrongdoing, she highlighted the severe abuse from her fans.
“I think it’s really just the fans. Her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are like, they ride for her, and I respect that respectfully,” Reese said. “But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it … but when it comes to death threats — I’m talking about people have come to my address, followed me home, it’s come down to that — multiple occasions people have made AL pictures of me naked, literally.”
A one-off opportunity to watch Clark and Reese as teammates emerged later that summer when the two were paired together on the WNBA’s All-Star Team. Clark struggled from the field but dished out 10 assists on the evening, helping fuel a trademark Reese double-double and a surprising 117-109 victory over the Team USA.
