The Indiana Fever’s ace believes they’re just two pros playing their game

Reese and Clark.

Reese and Clark.LAPRESSE

Caitlin Clark slammed the rivalry between her and Angel Reese as a fictitious creation from the media as she insists that the pair are simply two professional athletes playing a game of basketball.

The Indiana Fever star and the Chicago Sky ace came through the NCAA ranks together with the Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers, where they encountered each other twice in the March Madness games.

Since graduating to the WNBA as the first and sixth picks of the 2024 Draft, their heated exchanges have failed to calm as Reese takes repeated shots at Clark in the media and even celebrates when she’s hurt, as evidenced by her reaction to Chennedy Carter‘s foul on her, but Clark is quick to calm the flames.

“I’m pretty sure that the only people who view this as a rivalry is all of you,” Clark said to media on July 21. “For us, it’s just a game of basketball.

“That’s what it is. If it’s going to help move the game forward, then absolutely. That’s amazing. That’s what it should be. People can talk about it.”

It was the first meeting that sparked talks of rivalry between the upcoming duo when they met in the NCAA national championship game, which was won by Reese and she made Clark very aware that she had won by gloating throughout after the pair talked smack throughout the contest.

Then last year, Clark got some revenge of her own by eliminating the Tigers in the Elite Eight round, although she couldn’t go on to claim the national championship for her own so in a roundabouts sort of way, Reese still had the last laugh on the college scene.

And, as mentioned above, in the WNBA, Reese still appears to be taking shots at her through the media and, of course, celebrated the foul on Clark too so it’s clear that whilst the Fever ace might not view them as rivals, Reese surely does.

Who do the Fever play next?

So, will things continue to be heated when they meet each other on the Wintrust Arena in Chicago?

The pair go head to head in Windy City on Sunday, June 23 with the game beginning at 16:00 ET/13:00 PT.