Angel Reese Calls Out ‘Disrespectful’ Caitlin Clark Fans for Harassment: ‘There’s a Lot of Racism

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese believes much of the harassment she receives from fans of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is rooted in racism.

On a recent episode of Reese’s podcast Unapologetically Angel, the 22-year-old gave her perspective on the widely-discussed rivalry between her Clark. The two were briefly the center of the sports world in the aftermath of the 2023 NCAA national championship.

Since entering the WNBA, the discourse surrounding the two players has intensified and gone far beyond the game of basketball.

While Reese emphasized that she has nothing against Clark, she explained why she believes Clark’s fanbase has taken things too far.

“Caitlin is an amazing player and I’ve always thought she’s an amazing player,” Reese said. “We’ve been playing each other since high school, literally been playing each other since high school; and knowing that, there’s never been beef. We’ve talked trash to each other in AAU. It’s been that, so I think it’s really just the fans — her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans… They ride for her and I respect that, respectfully; but sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it — and I don’t believe she stands on any of that — but when it’s behind your name, that’s when a lot of people are like, ‘I don’t like her because her fans are saying this, this, this.’ No, I don’t believe in her heart that she has hatred towards me, and I’m sure believes that I don’t have hatred towards her; but I think her fanbase has gone… It’s a lot.”

After Clark and Iowa eliminated Reese and LSU in the Elite Eight of the 2024 women’s basketball tournament, Reese was asked about her experience in the spotlight over the past year. In a tearful response, she explained how she’d been “sexualized” and harassed.

On her show, she further detailed how anonymous internet users would make AI-generated photos of her and send them to her family.

“[On] multiple occasions, people have made AI pictures of me naked,” she said. “They have sent them to my family members. My family members are like — uncles are sending it to me like, ‘Are you naked on Instagram?’ It sucks to see that; and it’s really hard that I have to go through that, and now seeing other players even having to go through that.”