The rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark is one of the reasons the WNBA is what it is today. Like it was when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came to the NBA, Angel and Caitlin have breathed new life into the “W” since they arrived together via the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Three years later, their competition has the potential to become bigger than ever after Reese was recently traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream — veteran sports journalist Jason Whitlock explained on his “Fearless” podcast recently.
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“The marketing — Chocolate City, Atlanta. Liberal Atlanta. Gay Atlanta. Versus Indiana and Indianapolis, that’s a red state, that’s a red town, that’s a bunch of white racists versus Black Atlanta. They’re going to market the hell out of this as some kind of racial conflict,” he said.
Whitlock thinks Reese’s new WNBA home enhances the rivalry
One of the things that makes the Angel-Caitlin rivalry click is color. With Reese, a Black American superstar player going from the “Windy City” to the “Cradle of the Civil Rights Movement”, Whitlock believes that agenda is going to get pushed at every opportunity.
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Atlanta is widely recognized as the “Black Mecca” because it is the hub of Black entrepreneurship and political activism, and home to the most Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States. That scenario is the perfect contrast to the WNBA city, which Clark plays for.
Indiana is considered a Republican stronghold, with supermajorities in the governor’s, secretary of state’s, and attorney general’s offices, and in both chambers of the state legislature. Since 2012, it has also supported the party’s presidential candidate.
Because of that and Indiana’s historical links to the KKK and “sundown towns”, Whitlock believes that the potential of the Angel versus Caitlin rivalry has become even bigger than ever with this storyline.
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Whitlock wonders why the Sky traded Reese
On the basketball side, Atlanta’s acquisition of Angel has significantly improved the Dream’s championship odds right away. With Reese joining All-Star guards Alisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, plus veteran star Brittney Griner, many believe they are one of the best teams in the league, at least on paper. However, Whitlock thinks there is more to this trade than just that.
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“Atlanta should be a title contender, although I’m very suspicious. Angel Reese is a poison and a toxin that’s been added to the locker room. When you’re that big in a league that struggles to get attention, and Angel Reese gets a lot of attention, I find it odd that the Chicago Sky would jettison her after just two years. I think that speaks to what a headache she was in Chicago,” he added.
“Teammates didn’t want to play with her. Coaches couldn’t corral her. She was out there doing her double-double routine while the Chicago Sky were actually trying to win games or run an offense, and Angel Reese was out there, just chasing stats,” Jason concluded.
Whitlock is a longtime and consistent critic of Reese, so what he said isn’t a surprise. The idea of racial conflict is also just the product of his imagination. But put those aside, and Angel playing for a winning team adds a new layer to the rivalry, which is good for the league.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
