OPINION:
Caitlin Clark is indisputably the most popular player in the WNBA. Television ratings and attendance prove the point, as do merchandise sales. Clark’s No. 22 Indiana Fever jersey was the top seller in the WNBA in 2024 and the second-best-selling basketball jersey in the United States behind Stephen Curry.
Clark is a generational talent. We haven’t seen a player like her, ever. She has every basketball skill imaginable, and her ability to hit shots from midcourt has made her the most exciting player.
Yet the superstar isn’t perfect. She regularly gets heated with the officials. She mixes it up with opponents. She is no shrinking violet.
Clark is no angel, and she is no Angel.
I’m speaking of Angel Reese, the former Louisiana State University star now playing with the Chicago Sky.
Reese and Clark are forever linked by a rivalry dating back to college, where Reese’s LSU Tigers beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship game.
Clark and the Hawkeyes beat Reese and the Tigers the following season in the tournament’s Elite Eight.
Both players went on to be first-round draft picks in the WNBA. Clark was the top overall pick, and Reese was selected seventh.
Have I mentioned that Clark is White and Reese is Black?
Sadly, rather than results, race has come to define their antagonism.
The majority of players in the WNBA, about 80%, are Black.
Whites make up about 60% of the U.S. population, so it was inevitable that Clark would bring new fans to the game.
It’s about representation. Clark “looks like” a lot of little girls in the country who may have never before been interested in basketball.
That idea of representation, or “someone who looks like me,” can be applied in this situation. Just as Tiger Woods brought new fans to golf, Clark has grown women’s basketball exponentially.
However, that notion may not sit well with many Black players who have been building the WNBA since its first season in 1996. So, rather than riding the Caitlin Clark wave, some players resent her skyrocketing success.
However, what makes Clark unique and spectacular is not the color of her skin. The WNBA has had other White standouts, including Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Sabrina Ionescu. Clark is not just a really good White player; she is also a breathtaking talent.
Furthermore, Clark did not ask to come into the world as a White woman. She showed up that way. She worked extremely hard to become the talent she is today.
Now, getting back to Angel Reese …
While Clark has dominated the spotlight, Reese doesn’t want to be ignored. It’s not enough for her to be relevant. She wants to be historic.
Speaking about her intense rivalry with Clark, Reese says she relishes the role of the “bad guy.”
“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,” she said. “And if I want to be that and I know I’ll go down in history, I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason why we watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person.’ It’s because of me too, and I want you all to realize that.”
Note the final line: “I want you all to realize that.”
Fine. Angel Reese says she wants to be remembered for something. Being Clark’s nemesis may accomplish that goal.
Drama sells, so don’t expect anyone associated with the WNBA to discourage this modern-day, female version of Magic vs. Bird.
• Michele Tafoya is an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster and commentator.
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