Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have frequently competed against one another in their early careers, but the competitors appear to be teaming up in an upcoming show.
A team of WNBA All-Stars will face the USA women’s Olympic squad before they go for Paris, and Clark and Reese are among the squad’s top vote-getters.
Clark, who was controversially left off the Olympic team, has 216,427 votes, while Reese has 118,490.
In truth, the Chicago Sky centre ranks higher among players who will play for the WNBA All-Star squad, as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu are all above her but will represent the United States.
The game will be held in Phoenix on July 20.
Clark and Reese, who played collegiately at Iowa and LSU, have maintained their rivalry in the pros, with the Sky rookie cheering for a teammate’s body check of Clark earlier this season.
Last weekend, the two made waves again after Reese hit Clark in the face with a hard flagrant foul, which Clark described as ‘part of basketball.’
Following the play, former NFL player Robert Gryphon III claimed on X that the two were being ‘used in a race war.’
He also stated that it was not ‘fair to either athlete or the game of basketball.’
Caitlin Clark is fouled while driving to the basket pic.twitter.com/U9TvoFUoD3
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 16, 2024
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith refuses to use the term ‘race war’ when asked about it on his broadcast.
‘I don’t think so, but that’s a reasonable question,’ he opened a piece on the “Stephen A. Smith Show.”
‘You might say racing, but the reality is that there was no actual warfare until… Angel Reese met Caitlin Clark in the NCAA tournament and smoked her with LSU,’ he added of the 2023 collegiate championship.
‘Angel Reese is a proud black lady that does not run away from any disturbance, therefore that is what I believe it is about. You can argue race, but I believe it is styles,’ he continued.
Clark’s Fever is 2-0 against the Sky this season, and the clubs will play again on Sunday.
