Angel Reese appeared to celebrate a brutal foul on Caitlin Clark in their long-awaited WNBA match.
In the third quarter of the Sky-Fever matchup on Saturday, Reese’s teammate Chennedy Carter shoulder-checked the Fever rookie during an inbounds pass, knocking Clark to the hardwood.
Carter also appeared to say ‘you bitch’ before making aggressive and unnecessary contact with Clark.
Barstool Sports’ Eric Nathan later posted a wider angle of the foul, showing Reese apparently cheering after Carter committed the foul.
As Clark fell to the ground, Reese stood up from his seat on the bench and cheered while yelling at Carter, who was walking away after receiving a whistle for the foul. Reese also appears to be yelling at Carter as if to encourage or praise his actions.
Angel Reese applauds after Chennedy Carter’s brutal foul on Caitlin Clark on Saturday
In the third quarter of their game, Carter checked Clark’s shoulder during an inbounds pass.
After the incident, MLS commentator Taylor Twellman harshly criticized Reese for his reaction, writing, “What a bad look Reese has too IMHO.” The childish games and cheap shots of any athlete are very foolish. Imagine if someone did this to LeBron???’
Other fans flooded the comments section, calling Reese and Carter losers and bullies. Meanwhile, others suggested that they are jealous of Clark’s popularity and success.
However, Clark had the last laugh as the Fever cruised to a 71-70 victory for their first home win.
Clark had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help the Fever.
On the other hand, Reese scored eight points and 13 rebounds in Chicago’s loss.
Reese came into Saturday’s game averaging 11 points, 8.2 rebounds and two assists so far in the W. The former Tiger’s strengths in college apparently translated well to the pros, as she leads all novices on boards.
He has played and started in all seven of Chicago’s games as they now have a 3-4 record this season.
Carter appeared to yell ‘bitch’ before hard foul on Clark in third quarter
A clip of the incident shows Reese apparently applauding Carter after the foul.
Meanwhile, Clark has averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game since entering the league. Unfortunately, the Fever have struggled, winning just one of their nine games entering Saturday.
In 2023, Reese and the Tigers beat Clark and the Hawkeyes in the NCAA championship game, 102-85. Reese posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds on his way to a championship.
Clark got revenge in April when Iowa eliminated LSU in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. Reese’s 17-point, 20-rebound performance was quickly erased by Clark’s 41 points and 12 assists in the 94-87 victory.
Iowa would go on to appear in another title game, but lost to Dawn Staley’s South Carolina team.
Reese had eight points and 13 rebounds in Chicago’s loss
Clark had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help the Fever earn their second victory.
Since Clark is the new face of women’s basketball, Reese had previously criticized her college rival after they entered the league.
After a win over the New York Liberty in May, Reese tweeted: “And that’s because of getting a WIN in a crowded area, not just because of a player on our charter flight.” #SKYTOWN,” he wrote, with a kiss emoji at the end. Reese quickly deleted the post after it was posted.
While the broadcast team during the game argued that Carter’s body check was a flagrant 1, the officials considered it a common foul, as Clark made his free throw at the other end.
“I’m not taking any questions from Caitlin Clark,” Carter said when asked after the game.