Angel Reese Says One Interaction With Caitlin Clark Changed Her Life

Reese and Clark’s rivalry was catalyzed by a single moment.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have been locked in a highly-publicized rivalry since their college basketball days.

The rivalry between these two women’s basketball stars reached new heights when they faced off in the 2023 NCAA Tournament National Championship game. Reese and the LSU Tigers came out victorious, taking down Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes with a 102-85 final score.

In the closing moments of the game, Reese got in Clark’s face and pointed at her ring finger. Reese also taunted Clark with the “you can’t see me” celebration she debuted earlier in the NCAA Tournament.

This trash talk sparked serious discourse around the basketball world — discourse that Reese says changed her life.

In one of the iconic moments of last year's NCAA women's tournament, Angel Reese of LSU points to her ring finger as Iowa's Caitlin Clark can only watch during the national championship game. LSU defeated Iowa 102 85.

In one of the iconic moments of last year’s NCAA women’s tournament, Angel Reese of LSU points to her ring finger as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark can only watch during the national championship game. LSU defeated Iowa 102 85.

Zach Boyden-Holmes / USA TODAY NETWORK

“My life literally just changed from that game,” Reese said in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal.

“It’s just a full-circle moment of how women are viewed when it comes to trash-talking,” she continued. “It’s OK in men’s sports. We’re going to normalize that in women’s sports as well. So it’s just super-competitive. I think we’re two great competitors.”

Clark and Reese continued their rivalry into the 2024 WNBA season. The two All-Star players were locked in a battle for Rookie of the Year for much of the season, but Clark ultimately came out on top after Reese was ruled out for remainder of the season with a wrist injury.

Clark finished the year averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game, shattering several all-time league records en route to the Indiana Fever’s first postseason appearance since 2016.

Reese finished the year averaging 13.6 points and a league-leading 13.1 rebounds per game as a forward for the Chicago Sky.

While there’s no question they have a strong rivalry, Reese has some obvious respect for Clark.

“We brought a lot of fans to this league,” she said. “And I think we’re going to continue to do that. And one day, hopefully, we’ll be teammates.”