Caitlin Clark said she doesn’t get the narrative that she and Angel Reese have a bitter rivalry after the 2023 NCAA women’s championship game.
Before Clark was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Fever and Reese went No. 7 overall to the Sky in April’s WNBA draft, they became household names at the college level — and they were pitted against one another when Reese’s Tigers beat Clark’s Hawkeyes in 2023 title game.
“I don’t get that at all,” Clark, 22, said in an interview as Time’s 2024 Athlete of the Year, while reflecting on the situation. “We’re not best friends, by any means, but we’re very respectful of one another.
“Yes, we have had tremendous battles. But when have I ever guarded her? And when has she guarded me?”
Clark downplayed Reese’s hand wave — when she did that “you can’t see me” gesture in Clark’s face — before LSU’s 102-85 win over Iowa last April.
“I didn’t think it was taunting,” Clark said. “It really didn’t bother me. It’s just like, ‘Why don’t you talk about them winning? Or the incredible run that we went on that nobody would have thought we would have ever gone on?’ The only thing people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and made up, and then that has continued to be the case ever since.”
Clark — who became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer for Division I men or women this year — previously defended Reese after she faced backlash over the gesture and was called “classless,” among other things.
Clark and Reese have maintained that their relationship is a competitive one on the court and that nothing is personal.
They were the only two rookies to be named to the 2024 WNBA All-Star game in Phoenix, where they played on the same team for the first time.
Whether or not they consider it to be a rivalry, Reese’s and Clark’s star power helped break attendance and viewership records.
In 2024, the WNBA had its most-watched season in its history — and the league committed $50 million over the next two years to provide full-time charter flight service for its teams.
Clark described this past year as a historic one.
“I’ve been able to captivate so many people that have never watched women’s sports, let alone women’s basketball, and turn them into fans,” she told Time.
Clark was non-commital when asked if she is interested in playing in Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 league founded by the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier.
“I kind of want to just stay out of the spotlight,” she said.
“Personally, I’m just scratching the surface of what I can do and hopefully how I can change the world and impact people. There’s also been so many people that are not involved in women’s sports, that are just in the workforce, or whatever they do, and they’re just like, ‘Thank you for what you do for women.’ I’ve heard that a million times.”
Time will unveil its choice for the Icon of the Year on Wednesday, followed by an announcement for Time’s annual choice for the Person of the Year on Thursday.
