The Indiana Fever are playing some of their best basketball of the season, but more drama continues to follow Caitlin Clark. Sunday featured a close game of the Fever defeating the Atlanta Dream in overtime to extend their winning streak. Fans ended up pinpointing a noteworthy moment at the end of the game when Angel Reese expressed frustration for Atlanta’s game-losing play. Reese missed a tip in when the Dream had multiple chances to tie the game.
The following footage shows Clark walking behind Reese with a wry smile and a bit of a laugh:
Clark could have been just enjoying the natural moment of a huge victory against another WNBA Championship contender. However, there is a running rivalry between Reese and Clark that has existed from their college years. The rivalry has seen them showing more respect today, but there’s still some animosity between both sides.
Indiana is considered the most polarizing team in the league due to Clark being a lightning rod for WNBA media stories. Sophie Cunningham has fanned the flames to this by bringing political talking points into the WNBA leading to rallies and protests. The Fever find themselves in stories like this, so a personal rivalry having a viral moment is not shocking.
Why Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese Have Drama
The college rivalry started between Angel Reese and Clark as two of the top female prospects in recent memory. Clark’s Iowa team became one of the top attractions in sports due to basketball fans being aware of Clark as the next big superstar.
Reese’s LSU team eliminated Caitlin Clark one year and seemingly mocked her rival with a taunt. Many fans took exception to this to stir up more issues between the two. Some trash talk in their first WNBA meetings set the tone for a professional rivalry.
Today sees them both as arguably the most important players on young rosters with WNBA title contending hopes. Clark enjoyed getting a close win over Reese on Sunday, but the two will likely have many more important matches in the playoffs. The current standings would see Indiana face Atlanta in the first round as the 4 and 5 seeds.
Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese Do Respect Each Other
One important thing to note is that Reese and Clark have both started to pay respect to each other as part of the rivalry. Both players felt snubbed from making the 2024 Team USA Olympic women’s basketball team.
Reese talked about having long-term dreams of teaming up with Clark on future Olympic teams. The duo played together on the same WNBA All-Star roster in the past and actually had some fun moments that showed chemistry when sharing the basketball.
Clark also has spoken about Reese being a very good basketball player and being aware of what she does on a nightly basis. Both players have embraced the rivalry, but it comes through the mutual respect of having many close matchups against each other. Clark was caught enjoying one of her best wins yet against Reese.
Viral Clip Shows Caitlin Clark Laughing At Angel Reese After Win