Angel Reese’s teammate fumes over ‘dangerous’ Caitlin Clark narrative as she weighs in on pair’s viral spat

By ERIC BLUM

Angel Reese’s teammate, Ariel Atkins, has spoken out over the ‘dangerous’ Caitlin Clark narrative after Saturday’s heated on-court incident between the huge WNBA stars.  

Reese had to be restrained after Clark knocked her down and caused her to spill the ball moments after she grabbed an offensive rebound near the end of the third quarter.

As tempers hit boiling point, Clark turned her back and walked away as players from both teams got between the two to stop things spilling over. Reese then walked to the side of the court where a Chicago Sky official stepped in front of her to try and get her to cool her temper.  

The WNBA has launched a racism investigation a day after the altercation during the showpiece game, with Fever fans as the suspected culprits. 

‘Realistically, hard fouls happen,’ Atkins said. ‘But the hate is unnecessary and the narrative y’all have built is weird to me and dangerous. Just let them hoop.’

Clark was assessed a flagrant foul on the play, with Reese picking up a technical for her reaction.  

Reese’s teammate, Ariel Atkins, has spoken out over the ‘dangerous’ Caitlin Clark narrative

An on-court confrontation between Clark and Reese has been the lasting image from the game

After the game, Reese was in no mood to talk about the incident – in part because her team were emphatically beaten by the Fever, losing 93-58. 

‘Basketball play, refs got it right, move on,’ Reese, who was the top-scorer for her team with 12 points, said in a post-game press conference.

Clark, meanwhile, said there was no underlying tension between her and Reese but added that she disagree with the refs who upgraded her foul to a flagrant foul.

‘Let’s not make it something that it’s not,’ Clark said. ‘It was just a good play on the basketball. 

‘I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. It’s a take foul to put them at the free-throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.’ 

Clark and Reese met four times during their rookie WNBA seasons, with the Fever victorious three times. 

Both Clark and Reese were named WNBA All-Stars last season and helped take down Team USA during their only loss last summer before they won a gold medal at the Olympics. 

It was during the LSU-Iowa national championship game in 2023 where Reese’s point at her ring finger in Clark’s face appeared to be the catalyst for the rise in popularity of women’s basketball. 

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Angel Reese’s teammate fumes over ‘dangerous’ Caitlin Clark narrative as she weighs in on pair’s viral spat

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