Caitlin Clark‘s sensational performance in the Indiana Fever‘s 93-58 rout of the Chicago Sky in their WNBA season opener on Saturday was overshadowed by her controversial flagrant foul on rival Angel Reese.
The play happened in the third quarter when Clark knocked Reese down to the floor with a hard foul to prevent her from scoring.
Reese quickly got back on her feet and charged towards Clark while yelling at her. They had to be separated as cooler heads prevailed.
“Let’s not make it something that it’s not,” Clark told reporters after the win. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion.
“It’s a take foul to put them at the free throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life. That’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”
The game officials upgraded Clark’s foul to Flagrant 1, the first of her career, after the review. Reese and Fever center Aliyah Boston, who prevented the Sky forward from laying her finger on Clark, were assessed with technical fouls.
What Refs Say About Caitlin Clark’s Foul on Angel Reese
Crew chief Roy Gulbeyan said in the WNBA official pool report that Clark’s foul met the criteria for a flagrant foul 1 for “windup, impact, and follow through for the extension of the left hand into Reese’s back, which is deemed not a legitimate basketball play.”
Clark had the last laugh in her heated matchup with Reese with the lopsided win. She finished with a triple-double, delivering 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She also added two steals and four blocks in a complete performance.
The Fever star made 6-of-13 shots, including going 4-for-8 from the 3-point line.
Reese grabbed 17 rebounds and scored 12 points, but she struggled from the field on 5-for-14 shooting.
Clark and Reese’s rivalry dates back to the 2023 NCAA tournament. Reese led LSU to beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the championship match.
Reese was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. But Clark upstaged her when she went No. 1 in the WNBA Draft. Reese was selected No. 7.
Clark beat Reese for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award after a historic season that drew record crowds in the Fever’s games.
The list of accolades runs long for 2024 WNBA @Kia Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. In year one she shattered records and etched her name in the history books as one of the unparalleled players in this league!
#KiaROY | #WelcometotheW
Clark-Reese Rivalry Draws Magic-Larry Comparison
The marketing effect of their rivalry drew comparison to the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry in the 80s that saved the NBA’s rapidly declining attendance and TV ratings.
While Clark and Reese downplayed the comparison, no less than Johnson noticed the striking similarity.
“When I think about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s impact on the game, they remind me a lot of Larry Bird and me. Our first meeting, Indiana State vs. Michigan State, in the NCAA Championship set the all-time viewership record for men’s basketball,” Johnson wrote on X last year. “Caitlin and Angel’s 2023 NCAA Championship matchup and their 2024 Elite Eight games were the highest viewership records at the time.
“Larry and I heightened the NBA’s overall popularity. The Lakers and Celtics sold out arenas throughout the league and increased television viewership exponentially. The higher viewership numbers led to the NBA signing significantly larger TV contracts, which then led to higher salaries for the players.
“Caitlin and Angel are now doing the same thing, selling out arenas and increasing the viewership. They have taken women’s basketball by storm and with expiring TV deals on the horizon, the WNBA is now in a position to negotiate higher TV contracts and increase salaries for all of the talented players.”
Caitlin Clark Addresses Controversial Foul on Angel Reese