Caitlin Clark is Tired of the Angel Reese ‘Rivalry’—and Fans Are Loving Her New Statement

Much has been said about the dynamic between WNBA rookie stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, but the 22-year-old Indiana Fever player appears to be over it.

As the Fever prepared to face the Chicago Sky for the third time this season on June 23, Clark was asked about the so-called “rivalry” with Reese during a post-game press conference on June 21.

“I’m pretty sure the only people that view this as a rivalry is all of you,” Clark bluntly responded. “To us, it’s just a game of basketball.”

While acknowledging that increased interest in both teams helps “move the game forward,” she questioned why the matchup hadn’t been moved to a larger arena, as some other Fever games had. “I thought that would have been really good for the game and really good for all the women’s basketball fans in Chicago,” she said. “Maybe there’s a conflict of some sort that I don’t know about. Obviously, that’s a little bit above my pay grade.”

Despite her frustrations, Clark noted that the “two prior matchups have really lived up to what everybody expected” and showcased “really great basketball.”

Her coach Christie Sides and teammate NaLyssa Smith appeared shocked and amused by her response, as did many others. TikTok basketball commentator @youforgotaboutdre joked, “Caitlin Clark wore her sassy pants to the post-game interview last night,” in a video with over 44,000 likes. Many praised Clark’s “epic” words, while others enjoyed Coach Sides’ “priceless” expressions.

The public’s interest in the rivalry between Clark and Reese began in 2023, when their trash talk during an NCAA championship game between Reese’s LSU Tigers and Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes went viral.