How The Rumored Beef Between Caitlin Clark And Angel Reese Began
Controversy surrounded the NCAA women's basketball championship game when Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes faced off against Angel Reese's Louisiana State University Tigers on April 2, 2023. In the waning moments of the game, Reese taunted Clark by pointing to her ring finger — signifying a championship ring — and doing the "You can't see me" hand gesture, which was popularized by John Cena. Earlier in the tournament, Clark had made the hand gesture when the Hawkeyes won in the Elite Eight.
The celebratory taunts from Reese quickly went viral, and prognosticators were quick to deride the LSU star. "What a classless move by Angel Reese. Doing WAY too much to taunt Clark," CBS Sports writer Danny Kanell wrote on X, formerly Twitter, at the time. As people piled on Reese, the discussion turned into one about race, as fans did not seem bothered when Clark previously made the taunting gesture. "If you ever needed an example of systemic racism in American culture ... THIS IS IT," political journalist Brian Krassenstein tweeted on April 3, 2023, the day after the Tigers defeated the Hawkeyes.
According to Reese, she decided to bust out the taunt as a form of payback for when Clark used the "You can't see me" hand sign. "Caitlin Clark is a hell of a player for sure, but I don't take disrespect lightly. And she disrespected Alexis [Morris] and my girls [from] South Carolina," Reese said following the game. People believed that Reese and Clark had beef, but the two later shared their true feelings for one another.
Caitlin Clark defends Angel Reese
A couple of days after her Iowa Hawkeyes lost the championship game, Caitlin Clark commented on the discourse surrounding Angel Reese's on-court taunts. "I don't think Angel should be criticized at all," Clark told ESPN on April 4, 2023. The John Wooden Award winner thought Reese's actions were just part of the game. "I think everybody knew there was gonna be a little trash talk in the entire tournament," Clark added. "It's not just me and Angel." She also put to rest any notion of beef between the two female basketball stars. "I'm a big fan of hers," Clark said about Reese.
The following month, Reese spoke about how disappointing it was to see the exchange between her and Clark overshadow Louisiana State University's victory. "It was frustrating," she said while appearing on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" in May 2023 alongside two teammates. "I know one day we're going down in the history books, so it's bigger than me," she added while mentioning that nearly 10 million people tuned in to watch the two teams face off.
Reese and Clark were not simply downplaying any perceived beef, as there was actual admiration between the star athletes. "I love Caitlin; we've been competing since we were in AAU," Reese told reporters on October 6, 2023, as the LSU Tigers prepared for the season. "One day, hopefully, we could even be teammates," she added. The two players were at the center of more controversy, which involved the First Lady.
Why Angel Reese almost skipped the White House visit
Jill Biden was at the championship game between the Louisiana State University Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes, and she created a stir when she spoke to the press about having the Tigers visit the White House — as is a tradition for the NCAA winners. "But, you know, I'm going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game," Biden said, according to USA Today. Caitlin Clark was asked to weigh in on whether she believed the Hawkeyes should accompany the Tigers for the White House visit. "I think LSU should enjoy that moment for them," she told ESPN.
The informal invitation from Biden caused immediate backlash, and reps for the White House had to do damage control. "Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes," White House press secretary Vanessa Valdivia said in a statement obtained by USA Today released April 4, 2023. Valdivia clarified that only the NCAA champions, LSU, would be invited to the White House.
It was almost a case of too little too late, as Reese contemplated sitting out the White House visit. "In the beginning we were hurt. It was emotional because we know how hard we worked all year for everything," she told ESPN on April 7, 2023. In the end, Reese decided to go, and she even shared a touching hug with Biden during the visit.