The Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry has been one of, if not the most heated, feud in women’s basketball since their emergence as superstars in college and the WNBA. However, their rivalry has been marred by racial debates and controversies, which have soured other WNBA fans, including comedian Aries Spears.
In a video he posted to Instagram on Friday, Spears called for Reese fans to stop making the rivalry about race, persuading them to make it about basketball. He then went on to praise Clark for her basketball acumen, while calling Reese “garbage” for her play this season.
“Stop making this about race…This is not about race. Let’s play the race card and save it when we really need it. Otherwise, this is a waste of race,” he said.
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“This ain't about race. This is about ball. Who’s good, and who’s not? That’s it…It’s about one is good, and the other one (being) hot garbage. Caitlin Clark is bananas. Angel Reese is garbage,” Spears added.
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The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese has had a rough start to her sophomore year in the WNBA. She scored only two points in her second game this season, following her 12-point performance against Clark’s Indiana Fever in their season opener. While she's still averaging 14.5 rebounds, she is shooting just 22.7% from the field.
Meanwhile, Clark has been steady for the Fever this year, averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in her first four games this season. The Fever went 2-2 in that span.
The Fever and the Sky will meet three more times this season, as both Reese and Clark continue their rivalry in their sophomore year.
Caitlin Clark speaks on racism towards players in the WNBA
Caitlin Clark took a stand against racism towards players in the WNBA, addressing it as the league announced an investigation into fans’ racial comments directed at Angel Reese during their season-opening matchup on May 17.
“There’s no place for that in our game, no place for that in our society and certainly we want every person that comes into our arena — whether player, whether fan — to have a great experience,” she said.
“I appreciate the league doing that (investigation), I appreciate the Fever organization has been at the forefront of this really since Day 1 and what they’re doing. With the investigation, we’ll leave that up to them to find anything and take proper action if so.”
While dealing with outside noise stemming from her superstardom, Clark is expected to carry the Fever this year as championship expectations rose after the team added key veteran pieces to their roster during the offseason.
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