Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have gone from the faces of women's college basketball to the spotlight of the WNBA.
Both catapulted to stardom during the 2023 national championship game, which saw Reese and LSU claim their first national title against Clark and the Hawkeyes. That game drew a bigger audience than ever before, averaging 9.9 million viewers and peaking at 12.6 million.
And every one of those viewers bore witness to Reese and Clark's fierce competitiveness.
Their respectful rivalry has not cooled off since then. They faced off again in the 2024 Elite Eight where Clark's Hawkeyes got revenge on Reese's Tigers. It has carried into their rookie WNBA seasons, where neither young star has had a moment to breathe from the constant media coverage.
Due to their intensity and competitive nature, the pair are considered enemies on the court. The Sporting News revisits their supposed feud, which comes down to respect between two fierce competitors.
MORE: Did an old tweet hint at Caitlin Clark's 2024 Olympics snub?
Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese beef history, explained
There's nothing but appreciation — and a healthy dose of competitive spirit — between Reese and Clark. The two continuously shut down rumors of any supposed beef in the months following the national championship game.
In reality, their time as friends, and opponents, stretches much farther back than their collegiate careers.
"Oh my gosh, I love Caitlin. We’ve been competing since we were in AAU," Reese said during LSU's media day in October 2023. "It was always fun, always competitive. One day, hopefully, we could even be teammates. She is a great player, shooter, person and teammate.
“I don’t care about anything that’s negative. When you know the person and what their genuine intentions are, being able to know that we did something big, that we grew women’s basketball. That’s all that matters."
The Bayou Barbie made two gestures during the national championship, hitting the "You can't see me" hand wave and pointing at her ring finger, with Clark just a few steps away.
ANGEL REESE HIT CAITLIN CLARK WITH THE "YOU CAN'T SEE ME" 👀 pic.twitter.com/Zj3mqIzkk9
— ESPN (@espn) April 2, 2023
After LSU won, critics came after Reese's trash-talking. But Clark, who made the same "You can't see me" gesture earlier in the tournament, didn't let that fly.
"I don't think Angel should be criticized at all," she said in an ESPN interview two days later. "No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I'm just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talk. It's not just me and Angel.
"That should never be torn down. That should never be criticized because I believe that’s what makes this game so fun. That’s what draws people to this game. That’s how I’m going to continue to play. That’s how every girl should continue to play.”
MORE: Angel Reese's Caitlin Clark comment went viral for all the wrong reasons
Despite the narrative constructed in the aftermath of the national championship game, one which Reese has called "frustrating," the two remain supportive of each other's accomplishments. At least when they're not sharing the court.
Congratulations @CaitlinClark22 KEEP BREAKING RECORDS & MAKING HER-STORY! 🖤💛🔥 https://t.co/jWn7QZZdkQ
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) February 16, 2024
But even ahead of their 2023 national championship rematch in the 2024 Elite Eight, Reese, once again, affirmed that she and Clark have no real beef.
"I don't think people realize it's not personal," Reese said in an interview with ESPN's Andrea Adelson.
"... I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other. I want everybody to understand that," Reese went on.
"It's just a super-competitive game. Once I get between those lines, there's no friends. I'm going to talk trash to you. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game, we can kick it. I don't think people really realize that.
"That's fine. I'll take the villain role. I'll take the hit for it, but I know we're growing women's basketball. If this is the way we're going to do it, then this is the way we're going to do it. You either like it or you don't."
Clark reassured Reese's stance on their perceived relationship ahead of the Elite Eight, too.
"There's definitely that competitive fire," Clark told ESPN. "Both of us want to win more than anything, and that's how it should be when you're a competitor and you get into a situation like this, whether it was the national championship, whether it's the Elite Eight.
"I think that's the main similarity is how competitive we are. We both grew up loving this game, and we're going to do anything we can to help our teams win."
MORE: Caitlin Clark addresses WNBA media controversy
Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry continues in WNBA
Clark and Reese have been at the epicenter of the WNBA's ascension since they were selected No. 1 and 7 overall, respectively, in the 2024 draft.
The two are partially responsible for the increased attention around the league, which has hit unprecedented heights already this season.
Clark is often given more credit than Reese, but Reese wanted everyone to know she has also played a role in the W's success.
"I know I'll go down in history, I'll look back in 20 years and be like, 'Yeah, the reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of one person, it's because of me, too. I want y'all to realize that," Reese said days after their first WNBA matchup.
The media has done most of the talking for Clark and Reese, who are constantly pinned against each other despite their denial of anything more than a competitive rivalry.
Controversy arose when Reese's teammate Chennedy Carter hip-checked Clark for a flagrant foul, with many pointing to a lack of outrage when Reese was thrown to the ground by a player a week prior.
Those incidents sparked all kinds of takes from around the sports world, but Clark and Reese never directly took shots at each other. Reese, rightfully, called for better, more fair women's basketball coverage instead.
"Literally, the play that happened to me was even worse," Reese said. "...Growing the game, everybody's going to be treated the same and should be treated the same."
