Watch: Caitlin Clark Hit by Violent Cheap Shot While Angel Reese Appears to Celebrate it
Is it jealousy? Is it pettiness? Or is it just a good old-fashioned sports rivalry?
After one of the most decorated collegiate women’s basketball careers imaginable, many wondered how then-University of Iowa standout Caitlin Clark would translate at the pro level in the WNBA.
Now a member of the Indiana Fever, Clark’s transition has been, to put it bluntly, a rocky one.
In terms of what Clark can control, she desperately needs to cut down on her turnovers. As of this writing, Clark is averaging a league-leading 5.6 turnovers per game. No other player in the WNBA is averaging more than four turnovers.
Clark is also averaging 16.9 points per game while shooting a paltry 37.6 percent from the field, which is not great. You typically want your star players shooting closer to the mid-40 percent range.
(Fun fact: The WNBA’s leading scorer is actually shooting worse from the field than Clark. Dallas Wings standout guard Arike Ogunbowale is averaging 27.5 points per game on 36.3 percent shooting.)
Again, Clark can control those aspects of her game.
What Clark can’t control, however, is the apparent disdain and disgust that a number of her peers seem to harbor for her. Many have surmised that the negative backlash to Clark stems from jealousy over her overwhelming popularity and star power.
The latest example of this came Saturday, when Clark’s Fever hosted the Chicago Sky — a team that employs Clark’s old collegiate nemesis, former LSU star Angel Reese.
Late in the third quarter of the game, Clark appeared to have some words for Sky guard Chennedy Carter after the Fever scored.
In seeming retaliation for that otherwise innocuous bit of trash-talking, Carter could be seen visibly calling Clark “a b****” before she dipped her shoulder slightly and violently hip-checked the Fever guard.
The clip of the incident went viral for obvious reasons:
Look how hyped Angel Reese is on the bench after Caitlin Clark takes a cheap shot 😭 pic.twitter.com/GyeG1Q6OhZ
— Emo Jimmy (@WheelerJaylen) June 1, 2024
Almost simultaneously, another clip adding a bit more context (Clark trash-talking Carter) also surfaced:
Caitlin had some smoke for Chennedy the possession before
Chennedy responded 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/uK0ELP7xVt
— Future Of The Retro (@TraeK_) June 1, 2024
Many fans on social media also took swift notice of the way Reese responded to the cheap shot from Carter. In short: Reese wholeheartedly approved of the way her former college rival was being ragdolled.
Not only did Reese immediately stand and clap for the Carter shot, moments later, Reese gave Carter a huge embrace of approval:
Angel Reese is classless. Her reaction to her teammate shoulder checking Caitlin Clark to the ground… ‘me and and Caitlin Clark do not hate each other’
Yeah right. pic.twitter.com/wHAneeBUus— sj.💎 (@shawnamj_) June 1, 2024
Oh, and Reese made sure to get one more lick in on Clark in the fourth quarter, as well, in a move that one X user called “straight dirty”:
Angel Reese really hate Caitlin Clark… straight dirty pic.twitter.com/X4c2CHwGOE
— LeLakers 2️⃣3️⃣👑 (@LeLaker) June 1, 2024
Clark, for her part, complained to the referees about the extracurricular physicality, but didn’t retaliate with any cheap shots of her own (probably for the best).
Instead, Clark helped the Fever beat the Sky with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists (and five turnovers — which is an improvement!), snapping a three-game losing streak in the process.
For Clark, it’s not just about getting back against the cheap shots. This win also came against two Sky players — Reese and ex-South Carolina standout Kamilla Cardoso — who beat Clark and her Iowa Lady Hawkeyes in her last two NCAA championship tournament appearances.
Clark and the Fever will look to build on just their second win of the season when they travel to face the New York Liberty on Sunday.
Reese, Carter, Cardoso and the rest of the Sky will seek to get back to a .500 record when they host that same Liberty team on Tuesday.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
