Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have arguably the biggest rivalry in women’s sports today. They have been going back and forth since their days in the NCAA. Now that they are in the WNBA, their rivalry is still going strong.
One of the biggest moments of their rivalry came in the 2023 national championship game. Reese waved her hand in front of her face and directed the gesture at Clark. This imitated a gesture that Clark had done a few nights earlier. Reese and the LSU Tigers came out on top, winning the national championship over Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
On Wednesday, Angel Reese’s former teammate, Flau’Jae Johnson, appeared on “Club Shay Shay.” On the show, Johnson and former NFL player Shannon Sharpe talked about the impact this moment had on women’s sports.
“I mean, it was the same gesture,” Sharpe said (Timestamp 57:00). “It was the exact same gesture that Caitlin had done two nights earlier. And then when Angel did it, all hell broke loose.”
The conversation then continued, with Johnson and Sharpe going back and forth about how the Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry is a good thing for the sport.
“Yeah. But man, when she did it—bing, bing, bong—that is when women’s sports went like, oh my gosh,” Johnson said.
“And maybe that’s what we needed,” Sharpe responded. “Maybe we need to—maybe we—like, the NBA didn’t really take off until Bird and Magic.”
“I don’t care how it got done. It got done,” Johnson said. “You know what I’m saying? And like, you gotta—like, people watching, money, and we get to that bread. That’s all I think about. That’s why when they try to do all that and put all those things on the blog, like, it’s more eyeballs for the WNBA.”
The Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese Rivalry Has Continued in the WNBA
The rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese was at its peak while they were in college. However, it has continued in the WNBA. Both players entered the 2025 WNBA draft, becoming first-round picks. Both also had strong rookie seasons and were in the rookie of the year conversation.
However, Clark came out on top, winning the award. Notably, there was a controversy that added to the rivalry. Clark was viewed by most as the consensus winner of the award. However, someone had cast one anonymous vote in favor of Reese, which did not allow Clark a unanimous win.
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