Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have only been professional rivals for a year, yet their competitive fire is already lighting up the WNBA conversation.
The latest accelerant arrived courtesy of former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who-during a national radio hit-didn’t mince words: “She hates Caitlin Clark.” With that single sentence, Orlovsky transformed a simmering storyline into a full-blown talking point.
According to Orlovsky, Reese’s on-court physicality isn’t just playoff intensity -it’s personal. He argued that the Chicago Sky rookie has carried lingering resentment from their college battles into the pros and is determined to “make life miserable” for the Indiana Fever guard every chance she gets.
“It’s obvious,” Orlovsky added. “She wants to send a message every possession.”
Reese hasn’t publicly mirrored that hostility. Instead, she has used interviews to focus on winning habits and team identity. After a heated Fever-Sky matchup that featured hard screens and chirping in both directions, the LSU legend insisted she harbors no grudges: “I’m a competitor. She’s a competitor. That’s basketball.”
Much of the drama stems from last year’s NCAA championship game, when Reese famously flashed John Cena’s “You can’t see me” gesture toward Clark in the closing seconds.
Social media transformed the moment into instant cultural currency-part celebration, part controversy. Both stars parlayed the attention into enormous NIL valuations, then landed among the top selections in April’s WNBA draft.
True rivalry or manufactured beef?
The question now is whether this is genuine animus or an outsider-constructed narrative designed to juice ratings. Orlovsky is adamant it’s real, claiming he’s heard from “people close to the Sky locker room.”
Yet league veterans caution that intense matchups are nothing new. “Every great era has needed friction,” former MVP Sheryl Swoopes noted recently. “If these two push each other to new heights, the league wins.”
In truth, there is more connective tissue than conflict. Clark has repeatedly praised Reese as “a phenomenal rebounder who never takes a play off,” while Reese credited Clark for “bringing unprecedented eyeballs to women’s hoops.” They’ve appeared together in national ad campaigns and share representation with several corporate partners eager to leverage their combined reach.
Still, sparks keep flying. In their most recent contest, Reese recorded 14 points and 15 boards, punctuating a key put-back with a primal scream in Clark’s direction. Clark responded by drilling a logo three on the next trip and, according to courtside microphones, remarking, “We’re just getting started.”
Front-office executives quietly celebrate the tension. Early-season Fever-Sky broadcasts have generated record streaming numbers, and ticket prices for their July rematch in Chicago are approaching NBA territory on resale sites. “Storylines drive sport,” one WNBA marketing official admitted. “Right now, Angel and Caitlin are must-see TV.”
Whether the friction is authentic or exaggerated, Orlovsky’s comment crystallized the public perception of a feud. Reese, for her part, refuses to stoke the fire verbally. “Talk is cheap,” she said when asked to respond to the former QB’s critique. “I’ll keep proving myself between the lines.”
Clark echoed a similar sentiment: “I respect anyone who plays hard. That’s how the game should be.”
As the long summer schedule unfolds, fans will decide whether they’re witnessing basketball’s next great rivalry or simply two ultra-competitive rookies learning the professional ropes. Either way, every Fever-Sky tip-off now feels like appointment viewing-thanks in large part to one blunt declaration from a retired signal-caller who threw fuel on an already blazing narrative.
One thing is certain: With ratings soaring and arenas buzzing, the WNBA isn’t asking anyone to dial it back. In the words of Commissioner Cathy Engelbert earlier this week, “Let them compete.”
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