Rhyne Howard is the latest player to get chippy with Caitlin Clark, but "it's all love" between the two

PStevensKSR

rhyne-howard-latest-player-to-get-chippy-caitlin-clark — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after scoring a 3-pointer against Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Caitlin Clark is undoubtably one of the most talented women’s basketball players on the planet — and certainly the most popular. However, she’s also one of the more controversial and polarizing figures in American sports. She’s been at the front of all sorts of controversy in the WNBA — everything from her rivalry with Angel Reese to Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy placing a bet on her to get a triple-double.

It’s pretty well-documented that Clark tends to find herself in the midst of some scuffles too. Whether it’s her to blame for the scuffles or not varies from time to time, but they happen. Former Wildcat Rhyne Howard was the latest player to get into it with Clark.

While the situation didn’t escalate into much physically, they each had some words for each other following a shoulder bump. It’s hard to tell who initiated the initial bump. Feel free to judge that for yourself.

Former Kentucky Wildcat Rhyne Howard with some words for Caitlin Clark.
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— Phoenix Stevens (@PStevensKSR) May 23, 2025

The Dream and Fever played each other twice in a row, with Tuesday’s game being in Indianapolis and Thursday’s game being in Atlanta. Howard knocked down a go-ahead free throw late in Tuesday’s game as the Dream won 91-90 in the first matchup. In the second game between the two teams, Indiana escaped with an 81-76 victory.

Howard put up 20 points, three assists and three steals in Tuesday’s win over the Fever, and had 24 points, five rebounds and three assists in Thursday’s loss.

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Following Thursday’s game, Howard took to social media to remind folks that her trash talk is nothing more than competitive banter. “It’s all love I promise,” the former three-time All-American wrote. She even gave Clark a wet willy following their preseason game against each other, and both of them laughed about it afterwards.

Howard and Clark are friends — or at the very least, friendly. There’s no bad blood between the two. If you’ve played sports before, you know what that competitive fire does to you. The desire to win brings out the “dawg” in you.

That’s all this was, but it’s still cool to see Howard and CC going at it.

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