Caitlin Clark doesn’t understand why people think she has a feud with WNBA contemporary Angel Reese, despite years of fierce competition between the two.
Reese and Clark were opponents at multiple levels of basketball, first at the University of Iowa and LSU, then as fellow 2024 WNBA draftees starring the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, respectively.
Their battles have been at the forefront of the rise in women’s basketball popularity, with two of the four most-watched women’s basketball games of all time featuring both. All four saw Clark on the field.
“I don’t understand that at all,” Clark countered TIME about the fights with Reese. ‘We are definitely not best friends, but we have a lot of respect for each other. Yes, we’ve had huge fights. But when have I ever guarded her? And when did she guard me?’
Their feud seemingly started at the end of last year’s NCAA title game, when Reese pointed to her ring finger in front of Clark as the clock neared zero, signaling an LSU national title.
“I didn’t find it offensive,” Clark said. ‘I didn’t really care. It’s like, “Why don’t you talk about the win? Or the incredible run we went on that no one thought we would ever have continued?” All people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and fabricated, and has been that way ever since.”
Caitlin Clark has spoken out about her alleged rivalry with Angel Reese in her TIME interview
Some believed the feud between the two started during the 2023 NCAA national championship
Reese and Clark have met six times in NCAA Tournament and WNBA games, with the score evenly tied at 3-3.
The two were also teammates for one night at the WNBA All-Star Game, helping the all-star team defeat future Olympic gold medalists Team USA in the competition.
Their rivalry, or lack thereof, will continue to be talked about as they are two of the biggest stars in the WNBA.
The Sky and Fever will play five times in the WNBA next year, while Clark will not participate in the upcoming Unrivaled basketball league.
Reese will compete alongside many of the sport’s best players for the fledgling women’s 3-on-3 competition.