Angel Reese has made her feelings on Caitlin Clark clear as the pair prepare to face off when the Chicago Sky take on the Indiana Fever.
Reese and Clark almost came to blows the last time the Sky and the Fever met after the latter made a grab over the former’s head. Clark made what appeared to be deliberate contact with Reese’s arm and sent her to the floor.
Reese wasn’t pleased with the incident and had to be restrained after being knocked down by Clark.
As tempers rose, Clark turned her back and walked away as players from both teams got between the pair to stop things from spilling over. And according to lip reading expert NJ Hickling, Reese first yelled: “You f**king grab! Grabbing like that!”
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Shortly afterwards as officials tried to calm Reese down, the Sky forward shouted “You’re crazy as f**k!” in Clark’s direction.
The WNBA - which is currently suffering a bout of bizarre incidents of sex toys being thrown on courts as well as ongoing pay disputes - also launched an investigation into alleged racist abuse of Reese from Fever fans, after she was involved in a heated exchange with Clark.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark aren't rivals
Angel Reese continues to recover from a back injury that has sidelined her indefinitely in recent weeks, with her return remaining a day-to-day decision according to head coach Tyler Marsh.
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If she does make it for the Sky match this weekend, all eyes will be on her and Clark. Reese, though, has previously stated that she doesn’t view Clark as a rival as fans look to build a feud between the pair.
When asked after another clash between the two WNBA stars last year, Reese, who then played for LSU, said: "I don't think people realise it's not personal.
"Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it's like, 'Hey, girl, what's up? Let's hang out.' I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It's just a super-competitive game.
“Once I get between those lines, there's no friends. I'm going to talk trash to you. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game, we can kick it. I don't think people really realise that. That's fine. I'll take the villain role. I'll take the hit for it, but I know we're growing women's basketball. If this is the way we're going to do it, then this is the way we're going to do it. You either like it or you don't."
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Olympics the dream for Angel Reese
Furthermore, Reese praised Clark after the two had turned out together in the WNBA All-Star Game last year.
When asked what it’s like to play with Clark, Reese said: “It’s so cool, when she gets the ball, I’m running looking for the ball because I know she’s gonna throw it. She’s been great to play with. Hopefully in four years, we’ll be Olympians together.”
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Reese didn’t feature for the Sky in midweek as they fell to a 86-65 loss to the Atlanta Dream, while the Fever crashed to a 95-60 defeat to the Pheonix Mercury.
Topics: Basketball, NBA
Ben McAleer