ESPN analysts: Chippy foul, backlash pour 'gasoline' on Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry

In case you missed it, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were the subject of another WNBA controversy of the weekend. This time, it came amid the reaction of Clark’s foul of Reese during the season opener between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky.

Clark fouled Reese hard as the latter went up for a layup. What looked like a common foul to prevent a bucket, prompted a reaction from Reese and then social media and commentators went ablaze. Clark and Reese called it a basketball play afterwards, Robert Griffin III chimed in and said Reese hated Clark and all of a sudden the league itself released a statement condemning racism.

So, ESPN analysts Chiney Ogwumike and Monica McNutt said that it all led to gasoline being poured onto the fire. But it came at the player’s expense amid a competitive environment.

“If you think about it, Angel Reese, she sort of shoves Natasha Howard in the back to get the rebound,” Ogwumike said on Get Up. “Caitlin Clark is not happy with that. And that was a no free bucket foul in which, obviously, when you get those types of tough fouls, a lot of people in the WNBA get up and respond in the same fashion. I was in, you know, Barclays Center, where I watched Jean Claude Jones and I believe Chelsea Gray had a situation … Like these plays happen in the WNBA when you’re looking at this isolated one. 

“My number one thing is, if the players don’t have a problem, then we shouldn’t have a problem. This is part of basketball, but it gets gasoline on it because it’s two involved.” 

Ogwumike claimed it was just a typical basketball play and McNutt agreed. Clark and Reese seemed to have felt the right way, but there’s seem to always be something extra on the outside when the two rivals face off.

“Even the fact that you’re calling this controversy, and rightfully so, because that’s the way it is played out,” McNutt said. “We gotta let these women compete like we just gotta let these women compete. If Chiney and I have an issue right now and I shoved her, then we can talk about it because this is not the setting, right? But in the lens of sports … it’s going to happen. It is called competition. And so I think both women responded to this fine.”

Clark and Reese have had a developing rivalry since college, when Reese led LSU to a national championship win against Clark and Iowa in 2023. That extended last year into their rookie seasons in the WNBA, which saw record numbers in both attendance and TV viewership.

That in mind, it wasn’t surprising to see many fans react to the incident between the two in Saturday’s game. Not everyone agreed with Reese that the refs got it right, either.

“In what world was that flagrant,” Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy wrote on X. “An absolute cop out call. WNBA is a joke.”

Regardless, it’s clear that both Clark and Reese have a bright future ahead of them with many years of stardom ahead in the WNBA. This is just one of many matchups fans will have the pleasure of watching and it will be an interesting journey to follow.

Reese and the Sky missed out on the playoffs last year but will look to take the next step forward into the postseason this year. They’ll aim to bounce back from the season-opening loss Thursday against the New York Liberty.