Caitlin Clark Continues To Heap Praise On Angel Reese, Despite Lack Of Reciprocation

The Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry is arguably the best thing that has ever happened to the WNBA. Except, it's pretty one-sided.

Not just from an on-court perspective, where Clark is 2-0 against Reese in their young WNBA careers, but off-the-court as well. 

While Reese has taken several opportunities to throw jabs at Clark, the Indiana Fever rookie has never said anything negative about Reese. In fact, she praises the Chicago Sky forward at every opportunity. 

That continued on Sunday after Clark's Fever defeated Reese's Sky, 91-83, in a game that saw Reese deliver a flagrant foul on Clark when she went for a layup and Reese clocked her in the head. 

After the Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky on Sunday, Caitlin Clark praised what Angel Reese has done for women's basketball.

(Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images)

"I think what [Angel Reese] has done with her platform has been absolutely incredible," Clark said during her postgame press conference. 

"She has an entire fan base that has supported her and what she did at Maryland and then LSU. Obviously, l've played [against] her for a very long time, and she's been a tremendous player." 

She's not wrong; Reese had a decorated college career. But what catapulted Reese into the national spotlight was the 2023 NCAA Women's National Championship, when LSU defeated Iowa and Reese openly taunted Clark. 

Clark was a star before that, and the proof is quite obvious. 

Caitlin Clark is a basketball superstar and her celebrity has helped Angel Reese and the WNBA gain attention. 

In each round of the 2023 NCAA Women's Tournament, the most-viewed game was the one featuring Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes (except the Sweet 16, but only because Ohio State-UConn aired on ABC instead of ESPN). 

Iowa's Final Four win over South Carolina in 2023 drew over 2 million more viewers (5.6 million to 3.4 million, 165% increase) than LSU's win over Virginia Tech. 

The most-viewed non-Final Four or Championship game match was Iowa's Elite Eight win over Louisville. 

Reese thrust herself into the spotlight with the 2023 National championship victory and subsequent taunting of Clark. She's since used that boost to continue to comment on Clark.

Arguably the best career decision Angel Reese ever made was to taunt Caitlin Clark after LSU defeated Iowa in the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship.

(Greg Nelson /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

And why wouldn't she? Reese clearly understands that Clark is the launching pad she needs to continue her rise to fame. But Clark doesn't need Reese, which is why she stays out of the mud. 

"I think [the rivalry has] been really good for the game," Clark said. 

"People just love seeing great matchups, but also… people tune in for these matchups, and then they get to see how amazing these teams are," she continued. "And then they find new players to support and continue to come back from them, too ."

Angel Reese benefits greatly from her rivalry with Caitlin Clark, and she plays into it quite well

Clark understands that the rising tide lifts all boats. She brings attention to the game, and theoretically, people find other aspects that they enjoy. 

Angel Reese seems to understand that, as well. But playing nice with Clark won't draw the same attention that acting as her rival does. 

This, again, is borne out in the data. The rematch between Clark and Reese in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, even though it came in the Elite Eight instead of the National Championship, smashed women's basketball viewership records at the time.

The college rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has carried right into the WNBA.

(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Of course, Clark and Iowa advanced in the tournament and continued to set viewership records, culminating in a ridiculous 18.7 million viewers tuning in to watch South Carolina defeat Iowa… with Angel Reese nowhere to be found. 

Reese acknowledged this year that she's OK with being the villain in the Caitlin Clark story. Why wouldn't she? It's a well-paying gig. 

It's a much better-paying gig than the one where she gets along with Clark. For Reese, it's just business. 

And right now, business is good.