Angel Reese Makes Decision on Caitlin Clark Book: Report
If you've been following the WNBA the last two seasons, you've undoubtedly heard a lot about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Clark and Reese entered the league in 2024 with something of a personal rivalry, thanks to their multiple matchups in college at Iowa and LSU, respectively. At different points, each of them have tried to downplay any conflict between the two, but that hasn't stopped the headlines and narratives.
On Tuesday, USA TODAY columnist and author Christine Brennan released her latest book, “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports,” which examines Clark's ascension into a superstar over the last few years. Reese is mentioned in chapter 10, entitled "Hip Check."
The chapter focuses on the incident last season involving Clark and Reese's former Chicago Sky teammate Chennedy Carter. At one point during the Fever's 71-70 win over the Sky last June, Carter sent Clark to the floor with a hip check, which was called a common foul and later upgraded it to a Flagrant 1.
After the play, Reese could be seen clapping on the bench. According to Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post, Brennan attempted to interview Reese for the book, but she declined to speak with her.
“Through a spokeswoman, Reese declined several requests to comment for this book,” Brennan wrote, via the Post.
Some thought that by clapping following Carter's foul, Reese was confirming the narrative that she dislikes Clark. The two were later teammates in the All-Star Game last summer, the only rookies selected for the annual showcase.
“It’s so cool, I know when she gets the ball I’m running looking for the ball because I know she’s gonna throw it,” Reese said of playing with Clark at the time. “So, she’s been great to play with. I mean, the future — we’re going to be playing with each other a lot. Hopefully, in 4 years we’ll be Olympians together.”
In their first matchup against each other this summer, Clark and the Fever registered a 93-58 win over Reese and the Sky in their season opener. The win included a hard foul from Clark on Reese which drew the Chicago forward's ire in the moment and earned Clark some criticism from outsiders.
After the game though, Reese downplayed the encounter as "a basketball play" and Clark denied any malintent.
"Let's not make it something that it's not," Clark said. "It was just a good play on the basketball. I'm not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that's up to their discretion. It's a take foul to put them at the free throw line. I've watched a lot of basketball in my life, that's exactly what it was. I wasn't trying to do anything malicious. That's not the type of player I am."