Angel Reese initially didn’t want to talk about her teammate Chennedy Carter blasting Caitlin Clark with a hip-check in a recent game. She didn’t want to discuss her own elbow that sent Clark flying to the hardwood in a 71-70 loss to the Indiana Fever.
In fact, she and her team were both fined because she didn’t make herself available to the media after the game.
That all changed Monday when she and Carter finally spoke to reporters about what happened. Carter didn’t back down, insisting her actions were just an example of tough play. Reese, meanwhile, said she relishes the role of the bad gal in women’s basketball.
“It all started from the National Championship game. I’ve been dealing this with two years now,” she said of the negative reaction of fans. “And understanding that, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me but honestly, I’ll take that.”
“People are pulling up to games, we have celebrities coming to games, sold out arenas. Just because of one single game. And just looking at that – I’ll take that role,” she added. “I’ll take the bad guy role and I’ll continue to take that on. And be that for my teammates.”
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Angel Reese Suggests She’s As Important As Caitlin Clark For WNBA’s Popularity
It’s clear Reese is trying her best to formulate a rivalry between her and Caitlin Clark. It would be great for the WNBA to have something on par with Magic and Larry.
But the Chicago Sky forward isn’t on par with Clark stat-wise. The Fever superstar is averaging five more points per game, nearly five assists per game, and has 11 blocks on the season compared to Reese’s 0.
Still, she thinks she’s just as important to the league in the big scheme of things.
“I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in 20 years and be like: ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball isn’t just because of one person. It’s because of me, too,'” she said.
“And I want you to realize that.”
Angel Reese says the reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of Caitlin Clark.
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) June 4, 2024
What do you think? pic.twitter.com/iz8gnaDl5X https://t.co/NAfXC7ih9p
RELATED: Fever GM Demands WNBA ‘Cleanup The Crap’ After Angel Reese, Chennedy Carter Go After Caitlin Clark
Are The Two Women On The Same Level?
This very argument by Angel Reese is what got ESPN sports analyst Pat McAfee in hot water yesterday. McAfee argued that there’s only one superstar in the league. And he joked about it by voicing it like one of Clark’s haters.
“I would like the media people that continue to say, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class’. Nah, just call it for what it is – there’s one white b—- for the Indiana team who is a superstar,” he said.
McAfee would have to apologize for the comments.
But is Reese right? Is she just as important to the league as her rival? The attendance numbers seem to suggest she’s overinflating her value.
Here are the numbers for both the Sky and Fever’s road games this season:
- Sky – 12,049, 6,251, 6,251
- Fever – 17,401, 10,399, 19,103.
Clark is clearly putting butts in seats on the road because she’s the draw. Reese, not quite at the same level.
While Angel Reese is embracing the role of villain once again, she went with the victim card after Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes smoked LSU in their Elite Eight matchup in April.
“I’ve been through so much. I’ve seen so much, I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats. I’ve been sexualized,” Reese said after the loss. “I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things.”
“I just want them to just know that I’m still human.”
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