‘We’re not best friends’ – Caitlin Clark sets the record straight between her and fabricated rivalry with Angel Reese

‘We’re not best friends’ – Caitlin Clark sets the record straight between her and fabricated rivalry with Angel Reese

Clark doesn’t understand why.

She doesn’t understand why everyone has painted Reese as her rival.

Nor does she view Reese in that light.

Announced as TIME’s 2024 Athlete of the Year, Clark opened up about her relationship with Reese and explains why she doesn’t consider Reese her rival.

“I don’t get that at all,” Clark said.

“We’re not best friends, by any means, but we’re very respectful of one another.

“Yes, we have had tremendous battles. But when have I ever guarded her? And when has she guarded me.”

Of course the ‘rivalry’, goes all the way back to 2023, when Reese and LSU beat Clark and Iowa in the NCAA national championship game and Reese taunted Clark by pointing at her ring finger.

Since that moment, everyone has been trying to pit these two superstar woman against one another. Clark even downplayed Reese’s original gesture, and questioned why that was the main takeaway from that day.

“I didn’t think it was taunting,” Clark said. “It didn’t really bother me.

“It’s just like ‘Why don’t you talk about them winning? Or the incredible run that we went on that nobody would have thought we would have ever gone on?’

“The only thing people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and made up, and that that has continued to be the case ever since.”

Clark isn’t wrong.

Since that moment, everyone has been trying to pit these two young athletes against one another.

Both Clark and Reese were selected in the top ten of the WNBA draft.

Clark went first overall to the Indiana Fever, where she won Rookie of the Year, assist leader of the entire league, was an All-Star and made First Team All-WNBA.

Reese went seventh overall to the Chicago Sky, where was an All-Star and rebounding leader of the entire league.

Both rookies made the All-Rookie team as well.

Their careers will forever be intertwined.

And more likely than not, will forever be painted as rivals, even if Clark disagrees with that sentiment.

Reese herself has been complimentary towards Clark in the past as well, even hinting to a possible team-up in the near future.

“She’s great to play with,” Reese said after sharing the court as teammates at the WNBA All-Star game.

“Hopefully in four years, we’ll be Olympians together.”

The two have a lot of respect towards one another, that much is evident.

But as always in the world of sports, that isn’t as interesting as painting them as bitter rivals.

Unfortunately for Clark and Reese, that’s the narrative that sells.