Stephen A. Smith had no problem with WNBA officials giving Angel Reese a flagrant for her foul against Caitlin Clark on Sunday in Indianapolis. But the ESPN host does believe the league’s referees have their eye on the Chicago Sky star, particularly in the presence of her rookie teammate.
Clark’s Indiana Fever defeated Reese’s Sky on Sunday to improve to 2-0 against Chicago on the season. The game was marred by several hard fouls on Clark, who absorbed similar contact from the Sky’s Chennedy Carter in the form of a hip check during Indiana’s win over Chicago two weeks earlier.
On Sunday, the contact came from Reese, who ultimately received a flagrant 1 for hitting Clark in the head while driving toward the basket.
“I’ll say this: It was a basketball play,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on Monday. ‘Yes, Angel Reese is right about that. But what they told her in terms of raising it to flagrant 1 is exactly what they would have done in the NBA as well… She may be upset about it, but it’s a blow to the head and that’s what they’re doing. in this day and age. The call is correct.’
But even though the referees got it right in Indianapolis, Smith believes they were already watching Reese for his reaction to Carter’s hip check on Clark on June 1.
Smith (pictured) believes the referees have their eyes on Reese after she celebrated a foul on Clark
Reese (far right) was called for a flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark during Sunday’s morning session.
‘Number two,’ Smith continued, ‘I also think to some extent they’re going for some Angel Reese because if you remember when Chennedy Carter punched or pushed Caitlin Clark to the ground, what was that? June 1, if I remember correctly. , you’ve got footage of Angel Reese getting up and clapping and stuff.’
Smith wasn’t too concerned about Sunday’s foul, which he considers the consequence of a competitive game.
“But we don’t care about that because, again, that’s basketball,” he said. ‘That is what happens. It’s not a big deal.’
Many in the media have tried to draw comparisons between the Reese-Clark battles and Larry Bird’s rivalry with Magic Johnson during the 1980s.
And while it’s true that each rivalry began in college (the 2003 NCAA women’s title game for Reese-Clark and the 1979 men’s championship for Magic-Bird) before continuing into the pros, Smith sees the comparison as a bit exaggerated.
To Smith, the Celtics’ Bird and the Lakers’ Johnson were similar players: both 6-foot-9 stars who were more concerned with passing than anything else.
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark #22 of Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark celebrates a basket during the first half against the Chicago Sky
But Reese is a gritty power forward, while Clark is a developing shooting guard and distributor. And for Smith, that dynamic diminishes the Clark-Reese rivalry.
“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar isn’t competing with Larry Bird as much as Magic Johnson competed with Larry Bird,” Smith said, before offering the New York Liberty’s All-Star guard as a better rivalry for the Fever rookie. “If (Sabrina) Ionescu and Caitlin Clark faced each other, that’s a rivalry I’m willing to keep because their games are similar.”
Clark finished with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and now has a 3-1 record against Reese dating back to their college days. However, Reese’s LSU Tigers beat Clark’s Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA title game.
Reese had 13 rebounds and 11 points, while committing five costly fouls in the 91-83 loss.
While many took issue with the abuse Clark has received on the court, others believe the media has overemphasized the fouls.
As Smith’s co-host Andraya Carter said, Las Vegas Aces star A’Ja Wilson “gets hit in the head probably 10 times more than Caitlin.”
“But that’s a whole different story,” Carter said, adding, “It’s a physical game.”