The rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark has spawned massive ratings, heated opinions and a wealth of fodder for hot-takers trying to stand out in a crowded sports media landscape.
Jason Whitlock of Blaze Media, who has closely associated himself in the past with right-wing personalities like Tucker Carlson and Clay Travis, is the most recent sports analyst to weigh in on the Reese/Clark debate. He did so on June 20 via the use of incendiary language aimed at the Chicago Sky’s standout rookie.
“Angel Reese is perhaps the most overrated player in all of sports,” Whitlock said. “She’s incredible unskilled. She was a great college player because she was taller and a bit more athletic than most of the players she faced.”
Whitlock’s heavy criticism didn’t stop there.
“Now she’s in the WNBA facing equal competition and she’s getting exposed as really, really unskilled,” Whitlock continued. “That’s why she hates Cailtin Clark, because Caitlin Clark is actually very, very skilled and Angel Reese has none. She’s an energy player, that’s it. She’s not a skilled basketball player. People are starting to point that out, and she’s not going to like it.”
Jason Whitlock Accuses Angel Reese of Assuming ‘Victim Status’
GettyAngel Reese of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever.
Whitlock didn’t only take aim at Reese’s play on the court, but also at how he perceives her interaction with media members.
He accused Reese of playing the victim, as well as collegiate media of being too easy on her during her time at Maryland and then LSU.
She got into it with a Chicago Sun Times reporter, gave him a bunch of one and two-word answers, and told him at one point that she, “Can’t trust none of ya’ll because ya’ll twist my words.” So she’s backing away from the media and claiming some victim status.
Angel Reese when she was at LSU and when she was at Maryland, the media who covered her basketball career, it wasn’t that they looked like her, but they were all champions of women’s sports. … She’s used to fawning coverage, but now that Caitlin Clark has attracted others – like Jason Whitlock, like Dave Portnoy – and other people that cover and talk about sports — we’re not sitting around like, “Hey, how can we build up women’s basketball and make every women’s player sound like Mother Theresa and the greatest thing to ever happen?”
So, she has stepped into reality now. It’s like a hot girl, she rarely ever gets told the truth.
Angel Reese, Sky Edge Out Caitlin Clark, Fever in Most Recent WNBA Matchup
GettyAngel Reese drives to the basket during a WNBA game in May 2024.
Critics have accused Whitlock in the past of using charged and/or coded language against women and athletes of color, even though he happens to be Black himself.
One can certainly make an argument that Whitlock’s language quoted above carries those undertones. An argument that would be far more difficult to make is that Reese wasn’t dominant in her most recent matchup against Clark and the Indiana Fever.
The Sky hosted the Fever on Sunday, January 23. Reese led Chicago to an 88-87 win on the strength of 25 points and 16 rebounds, stymying Indiana’s four-game winning streak. Clark also played well during the contest, dropping in 17 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.
Both Reese and Clark are in the top 10 in early WNBA All-Star Game voting, per ESPN. As of June 21, Clark was second in total votes, while Reese was seventh.
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Controversial Analyst Rips Angel Reese as ‘Overrated,’ Claims She ‘Hates’ Clark