Angel Reese appears to be a WNBA star even without the Caitlin Clark controversy.
Amid the drama surrounding her long-running rivalry with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese insisted she has no problem playing the villain if it brings more eyeballs to the WNBA.
‘People are pulling up to games, we have celebrities coming to games, sold out arenas. Just because of one single game,’ the Chicago Sky rookie said about her matchup against Clark and the Indiana Fever earlier this month.
‘And just looking at that… I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role and I’ll continue to take that on – and be that for my teammates.’
Reese had caused uproar that night following her teammate Chennedy Carter’s brutal bodycheck on Clark – the No. 1 WNBA Draft pick.
After Carter shoved her to the ground unprovoked, they received fierce criticism for appearing to laugh about the foul together while making their way off the court.
Angel Reese has emerged as a top contender to win the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award
Over the past four weeks, the unnecessary roughness Clark has been subjected to has sparked major controversy, with some suggesting both her and Reese are being weaponized by opposing sides in a ‘race war’. The topic has spiraled out of control at times, with the Chicago forward’s own foul on her former college nemesis a few weeks later reigniting the outrage once more.
Reese was heavily berated in certain sections after hitting Clark in the head during a defeat for the Sky and then implying that the Fever superstar greats a ‘special whistle’ from the referees. Jason Whitlock said she was playing ‘victim’, while Dave Portnoy accused her of suffering from ‘main character syndrome’.
Nevertheless, last weekend the controversial sports commentator was forced to eat his words when Reese inspired the Sky to a much-needed victory over Clark’s Fever at the third time of asking.
The former LSU star showed exactly why she is so highly regarded in women’s basketball after turning on the style late on to put up a career-high 25 points and drag her team over the line. It was a gentle reminder that Clark is not the only generational talent slowly being introduced to WNBA-level basketball this season.
‘I’m a dog, you can’t teach that,’ Reese said after the game. ‘I’m going to go out and do whatever it takes to win every single night. My teammates rely on my energy. So being able to continue that energy even if we’re down, even if we’re up, that’s what I do.’