The Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry, feud, debate — whatever you want to call it — has been raging on for several years now. It began when the two were in college, with Clark playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Reese for the LSU Tigers. Both were iconic figures in college basketball, albeit for slightly different reasons.
Clark was perhaps the best women’s college basketball player of this generation. Her profound shooting ability and savvy passing left defenders helpless, reeling in television viewership who wanted to see what the hype was about.
Reese also drew in viewership, partly because of her brash, outspoken manner on and off the court. That’s not to say she wasn’t also an excellent college player, as she won the 2023 national championship and was selected six draft slots after Clark was picked first overall in 2024.
Both are stars in their own right. But Clark’s gotten the upper hand in the WNBA; how has she done it, and what changed from college, when Reese had several instances of taunting her bitter rival?
How Caitlin Clark Has Changed the Narrative and Won Against Angel Reese in the WNBA
Just 53.7 seconds remained in the fourth quarter of the 2023 national title game between LSU and Iowa. The Tigers held a comfortable 98-82 lead, with the championship celebration already beginning.
LSU guard Jasmine Carson was fouled by the Hawkeyes, putting her on the free-throw line with a chance to add to the 16-point lead. As the teams walked towards the basket to line up, Reese pointed to something far from nondescript in that moment: her ring finger.
Then, as she stood straddled between Iowa forward Addison O’Grady on her left and Clark on her right, Reese made another gesture. She turned to her right and flashed her palm to her face, moving her hand side to side with a simple message behind it: I can’t see you.
Cameras caught the moment, replaying the interaction — if that’s what you’d call it, considering Clark either didn’t see Reese or chose not to react, as she stared straight ahead, never making eye contact.
The Tigers did indeed go on to win the game and the national championship. Reese scored 15 points and recorded a team-leading 10 rebounds, adding five assists and three steals. She was honored with the 2023 Women’s Final Four Most Outstanding Player award. She finished 4-1 in her college career against Clark and Iowa.
Clark gave her best effort in the title game, producing 30 points on 8-for-19 shooting from three-point range and adding eight assists and two rebounds.
Thus, the beginning of the Clark-Reese rivalry that has since been flipped on its head since the pair reached the WNBA.
Whereas Reese’s petty gestures towards Clark came while she was on top, they’ve also come in the pros — even when she doesn’t have the advantage.
During her rookie season with the Chicago Sky, who drafted her seventh overall in 2024, an interview went viral in which Reese noted that the increase in women’s basketball viewership began because of the aforementioned national championship game.
“The reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person,” she said, clearly referencing Clark. “It’s because of me, too, and I want y’all to realize that. Like, it’s not just because of one person.”
Earlier in the 2025 season, another moment offered a glimpse at the dislike between the two.
After a Sky three-point shot bounced off the rim, Reese seemingly got away with a push underneath the basket that allowed her to grab the offensive rebound. Standing feet away from Reese, Clark looked towards the ref, anticipating a call. Nothing came.
In what seemed like retaliation towards the no-call, Clark wrapped her arm around Reese as she went up for a layup, following through with a push that was enough to send the Sky forward sprawling to the ground.
Reese got up quickly and immediately made a beeline for Clark, shouting demonstrably as Clark calmly walked away from the short-lived scuffle.
It was a peek into both players’ views of the other: Clark for her careless wrap-up, push, and walk-off, and Reese for quickly realizing who her fouler was and deciding that the manner and physicality of the play didn’t sit well with her.
However, as far as the actual head-to-head matchup in the WNBA between the two, who play different positions, Clark is leading the way.
In five games between their teams throughout their first season and a half in the league, Clark and her Indiana Fever are 4-1 against Reese and the Sky — but the individual stats aren’t too far off.
Clark is averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game in those games while shooting just 40.5% from the field and 32.9% from three-point range. Reese is at 13.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 41.2% from the field and 20.0% from deep.
Those numbers point directly to the fact that Clark is the Fever’s point guard, distributing for others, while Reese is one of the Sky’s forwards, relentless at attacking the boards. Both are already two-time WNBA All-Stars after their first pair of seasons in the league.
As simple as it may sound, the difference in records against each other in the pros may come down to the players around Clark and Reese.
This season, Reese is second on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game, just 0.1 points behind leading scorer Ariel Atkins. Clark, who’s played in just 13 games this season due to several injuries, is also second on the team with a mark of 16.5 points per game. Fellow All-Star and backcourt mate Kelsey Mitchell is the leader at 19.6 points.
Indiana forward Aliyah Boston is also up near Clark and Mitchell in scoring, producing 15.4 points a night. That would make her the leading scorer on the Sky by a point and a half.
Boston was also named an All-Star, making her the third Fever player to make the team. Reese was the lone participant from the Sky — a signal of Chicago’s lack of talent and a direct correlation to why the team has a record of 7-17 to date this season.
With their three All-Stars, Indiana is firmly in the playoff race with a 13-12 record.
Both Clark and Reese are, assuming they stay healthy, in the beginning stages of long careers in the W. There will be countless more battles and countless more viral moments between the two — and it continues on Sunday, July 27, when the two teams meet at 3:00 p.m. EST in Chicago. That is, assuming Clark plays, as she’s been battling a groin injury.
But if she does suit up, it’s must-watch as must-watch gets.
