Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s chemistry has become one of the most scrutinized storylines in the WNBA since they entered the league in 2024. Their first week as Team USA teammates at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Puerto Rico has only amplified the noise. And New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart sees that as a sign of progress.
Breanna Stewart Praises Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s Handling of Hostile WNBA Fan Behavior
Stewart joined “The Pivot” podcast on March 13, just hours after Clark and Reese’s second game together sparked fresh debates. A second-quarter moment from Thursday’s 91-48 win over Puerto Rico went viral when Reese extended her hand for a high-five, and Clark turned the other way. Earlier in the tournament, fans criticized Reese for bringing the ball up the court herself rather than passing to Clark on outlet opportunities.
None of this fazes Clark or Reese, according to Stewart. The conversation began when the show’s host, former NFL safety Ryan Clark, asked a question that many in the WNBA have debated privately.
“Isn’t some of the toxicity good, though?” Clark asked. “Because… men are way pettier than women, right? Y’all got this ‘Let’s stick together’ thing down way better than we do. You can separate us easy, you tell this one he can make more if he leave this one behind, they gonna leave you behind. There has always been that level… of competition, that level of, ‘We’ve got to pick one’ is what makes fans. It’s what makes the game.”
The former NFL safety then connected the dots to the WNBA’s surging popularity.
“Don’t you think in a way, it’s good that the WNBA is getting to the point where they’re building enough stars, where people are like, ‘I’m drawing my line in the sand with her. And I’m gonna watch her every time, because I want more people to watch her game than watch her game,'” Clark continued.
Stewart replied, “Sometimes players, we’re having a hard time adjusting to having all this good energy, but also you have some negative energy on social media and other stuff like that. But if we want to be in this class that we haven’t been in, or this space that we haven’t been before, as well as you take the good, you need to be able to take the bad.”
She then invoked the most polarizing player in basketball history to make her point. “Because whenever they’re going in the negative direction, like with LeBron, you see the hate, right? But you also know people love him,” Stewart continued. “But you have to be able to take both. If we want to be in this space where we’re getting all the things we want, you have to be able to take both. And that’s just the way it is. And don’t let it rattle you.”
“Angel, Caitlin… They don’t let it rattle them” – @breannastewart
WNBA basketball fandom has gotten more toxic with the arrival of Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark. NBA rivalries have driven the men’s game’s popularity, but where there’s positive the negative will follow. You have… pic.twitter.com/F9MKYPVdEP— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) March 14, 2026
The three-time WNBA champion then offered her assessment of how Clark and Reese handle the constant scrutiny. “So, I think that Angel, Caitlin, those two especially, they don’t let it rattle them. They know that they’re really elevating the game, and not everybody’s going to love them, not everybody’s going to hate them,” Stewart concluded.
Her comments come at a critical moment for both players. Team USA is 2-0 in the qualifying tournament with games remaining against Italy, New Zealand and Spain. Clark has looked sharp coming back from the injuries that ended her 2025 season early, posting 17 points and 12 assists against Senegal before a quieter 8-point, 3-rebound outing against Puerto Rico.
Reese, meanwhile, set a U.S. record for rebounds in a World Cup qualifier with 13 against Puerto Rico. Through two games, both players have done exactly what Stewart described. They’ve blocked out the noise, performed at a high level and let the scrutiny fuel the attention the league craves.
