The 2025 WNBA season has tipped off with a surge of excitement and immediate drama, which has gotten the fans going from the opening whistle. The highly anticipated matchup between Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky set the stage for two rising stars in Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, which has reignited their rivalry that traces all the way back to their college days at Iowa and LSU.
During the game between the Sky and the Fever to start the two teams seasons, their heated moment on the court during the season opener sparked intense buzz across social media and sports media, highlighting the competitive fire that both players have been bringing, every time they face each other on the court. This has only amplified the spotlight on the WNBA, which is already on the rise because of these two young stars, with their basketball talents.
Also Read: Who Is Aari McDonald, the Newly Signing Guard for Indiana Fever on WNBA Emergency Hardship Contract?
Adding to the conversation, ESPN’s NBA/WNBA analyst Monica McNutt has stirred further discussions with her commentary on Reese and Clark’s heated moment. Let’s find out more.
While not confirmed, rumors state that Caitlin Clark has reportedly filed a defamation lawsuit against ESPN analyst Monica McNutt, for her comments on the Clark-Reese rivalry which happened almost five days ago. McNutt has received a lot of criticism for her comments as she said;
“I think folks that truly love the game of basketball, you need to be mindful. You need to respect the humanity of these women, whether you are team Clark or team Reese, although you can certainly be both. The aftermath. The fact that the WNBA has to put out a statement because of racist comments and unsaved conditions towards Angel Reese. I just want people to be mindful. Like it or not, anytime something happens between the two of them, one is automatically put as a victim and one is automatically put as someone who needs to be saved. When in reality, both are excellent competitors… Let’s be honest, if this was the other way around, Oh Lord! You can only imagine how the conversation would have gone.”
McNutt’s statement at the very end, where she talks about “if it was the other way around,” has what has caught fans’ attention the most. Many fans believe that she has been heavily biased when it comes to talking about Reese vs. Clark, with many questioning if she is undermining Clark’s greatness because of her skin color.
It’s been five days since the incident, but the drama has continued to take place off the court and on the internet. This all started when Angel Reese and Fever’s forward, Natasha Howard, was battling for the rebound. After Reese shoved Howard out of the way, you can clearly see Clark upset with the no call. So instead of letting Reese putback an easy two inside the paint, Clark committed a hard foul on Angel which sent her to the ground.
Reese was visibly very upset with the foul and Clark received a flagrant one call on the play. In our point of view, it was simply a basketball play which happens in the WNBA and the NBA. However, things only escalated from there.
In the postgame interview, Angel Reese kept it very short, firm, and professional on the hard foul that Clark committed earlier. When a reporter asked her about how she interpreted the whole situation and the foul, she said “Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move On.”
The rivalry between the two is never going to stop, but both these players have been nothing but professional so far in their WNBA careers. Reese has been a double-double monster, grabbing boards and scoring points on several occasion. Whereas, Clark can shoot the ball from 40 feet, and can dish dimes making her teammates better. Despite the controversy, both Reese and Clark are bringing a lot of eyes to the WNBA, and the game is only getting bigger each season.
Also Read: When will Caitlin Clark be back to WNBA ? When will Caitlin Clark be back to Indiana Fever?
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