Angel Reese has opened up on her rivalry with Caitlin Clark and her role as the villain who ‘gets the hate’.

Reese and Clark have risen to become two of the biggest stars in women’s sports, shining in college basketball before catapulting the WNBA to new heights.

Chicago Sky forward Reese and Indiana Fever guard Clark have been playing against one another since they were in high school.

But their rivalry moved into the mainstream during the NCAA championship game in 2023, when Reese was accused of taunting Clark as she led LSU to victory over Iowa.

But the Sky star insists she has nothing against her Fever counterpart, who won the race to be named WNBA rookie of the year in 2024.

‘I’ve been playing against Caitlin since we were probably in eighth or ninth grade. We were both really competitive,’ Reese told ComplexCon.

+3
View gallery

Angel Reese has discussed her rivalry with Caitlin Clark and her role as the one who ‘gets hate’

+3
View gallery

WNBA players Reese and Clark have risen to become two of the biggest stars in women’s sports

+3
View gallery

During the NCAA championship game in 2023, Reese was accused of taunting Clark

‘I went to Maryland (before LSU), she went to Iowa and we competed there, so people don’t know the legacy of us being able to play against each other for a really long time.’

Reese added: ‘I think it’s just competition and competition since college… I don’t have any hard feelings toward her and she doesn’t have any hard feelings towards me, it’s just basketball and it gets crazy sometimes.’

The Sky star has no issue with Iowa and Indiana fans ‘riding for’ Clark.

‘I respect that, respectfully, but sometimes it’s very disrespectful,’ said Reese, who insists she is happy to play the villain if it helps grow the sport.

‘Obviously social media is going to put two women against each other and I think that it’s something that’s been negative but also positive,’ she added.

00:00

02:24

Read More

‘It shines light on women’s basketball so I’ll take that, being the person that gets the hate, but at the end of the day I know I’m the person that’s growing basketball and helping women’s basketball.’

Earlier this year, Reese insisted: ‘It’s not personal. 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.’