Caitlin Clark Reveals Actual Reaction To Angel Reese's Celebration In 2023 Championship Game

When the LSU Tigers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes to win the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship, Angel Reese celebrated by looking directly at Caitlin Clark and pointing to her ring finger. She also waved her hand in front of her face, mimicking John Cena's famous "U Can't See Me" gesture.

The interaction bothered Clark — but not for the reason you think.

"That's the only thing people wanted to talk about when we just went on this magical run and united so many people, and that like was frustrating to me," Clark said in ESPN's recently released Full Court Press docuseries.

"Honestly, I had no idea. I was just trying to get to the handshake line and be grateful that my team was in that position."

Angel Reese shows Iowa Caitlin Clark her ring finger during the final seconds of the 2023 women's national championship game.

(Zach Boyden-Holmes / USA TODAY Sports)

That rivalry brought unprecedented attention and coverage to women's basketball. That should have been a good thing. Instead, it turned into a media firestorm of unnecessary racial narratives.

"The media was trying to create a circus out of racial things, out of trying to make hatred come up, and she [Clark] just wouldn't let it happen," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said.

Caitlin Clark Wanted The National Title

Clark took no issue with Reese. But she was disappointed in the outcome of the game, which LSU won 102-85.

"I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa," Clark said in her post-game press conference.

"I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy and I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream and you can be in moments like this. I'm a competitor. I wanna be in the National Title game again. It's like you wanna end it the right way."

Of course, she did go back to the National Title game in 2024, but the Hawkeyes once again fell short — losing 87-75 to South Carolina.

So Clark never got the collegiate championship she wanted. But her legacy and her impact on the game is already way bigger than a single trophy.

The all-time leading scorer in college basketball history, Clark was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. In the same class, Reese went No. 7 to the Chicago Sky.

It's going to be a fun rivalry between these two women for years to come — a rivalry that's great for the sport. 

Let's just drop the racial nonsense.