When Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark fouled Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese in their season-opening matchup last weekend, it sent shockwaves through the WNBA.
As Reese made a move toward the basket, Clark went to knock the ball out of her hands and ended up knocking her to the floor. Reese immediately popped up and tried to confront Clark, who turned her back and started walking away as Fever teammate Aliyah Boston got between her and an irate Reese.
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While both players downplayed the incident being fueled by any bad blood stemming from their years-long on-court rivalry, that’s not the way most fans and media pundits saw it.
Regardless, Clark explained to reporters after the game it was simply a foul to prevent two easy points, asking everyone not to make it a bigger deal than what it was.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) fouls Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
And while several prominent names in the sports media sphere including Robert Griffin III, Dave Portnoy and others have made it known how they feel about the incident itself and the rivalry between Clark and Reese, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has now weighed in on the matter.
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“I think [what happened is] great for our game,” Staley recently said “The Breakfast Club” podcast. “Like, it’s a sport, treat us like a sport. Don’t treat us anything other than being a sport. It happens in every sport — soccer, basketball, football — it happens in every sport, so let it be.
“I’m going to take the lead of Angel and Caitlin, and that lead is, ‘They said it was a foul, the officials got it right, we’re moving on.’ I’m going to take their lead. I think it pulls people in.”
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The feud between Clark and Reese, which dates back to their days at Iowa and LSU, respectively, is a big selling point for the WNBA right now. Fever-Sky games are often the most-watched games of the WNBA season.
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And while that’s great news for everyone involved, Staley also admitted because Clark has brought so much more mainstream attention to the WNBA and women’s basketball in general, she hopes that her star status doesn’t overshadow other stars like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, among others.
“I do think there are new fans that haven’t watched their game and they really don’t know, so they’re only singularly focused on Caitlin,” Staley continued. “That’s their idol, that’s who attracts them, but I just hope that they’ll open their eyes to the rest of the talent that is there. The product is incredible and it’s in high demand.”
Related: Caitlin Clark Teammate Named in Lawsuit Involving Phoenix Suns CEO
Related: Fever Get Unfortunate Injury News About Caitlin Clark Teammate Before Dream Game
Dawn Staley Says Quiet Part Out Loud About Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Controversy first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
