Angel Reese whacking Caitlin Clark in the head during the third quarter of Sunday’s nationally televised Sky-Fever WNBA game has elicited a slew of emotional reactions.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III offered his take Sunday evening.
“Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are being used in a race war that is not fair to either athlete or the game of basketball,” RG3 wrote on X.
The former Heisman Trophy winner had asked fans for their thoughts about Reese, who is black, and Clark, who is white, in a previous tweet.
“Basketball fans, this is a safe space,” he wrote. “Why do you think the discourse around Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and the WNBA is 99% about everything but the basketball being played?”
In their second WNBA matchup since getting drafted in April, Reese hit Clark in the head with her arm while trying to block a shot in the Fever’s 91-83 win over the Sky and was assessed a flagrant 1 foul.
The foul comes on the heels of Sky guard Chennedy Carter blindsiding Clark with a hip-check to the ground during the June 1 Sky-Fever game as Clark was waiting for an inbound pass.
While Reese, 22, has also been on the receiving end of hard fouls, the physicality against Clark, also 22, has sparked debate about the intentions of those fouling Clark, whether her teammates are doing enough to stick up for her and if the WNBA needs to better protect the rising star who has been a big box-office and television draw for the league.
Both Clark and Reese have been the subjects of national discourse since Reese taunted Clark in the 2023 national championship game with the same “you can’t see me” John Cena hand gesture that Clark had previously used, as LSU defeated Iowa to win the national title.
Clark and Iowa got revenge by defeating Reese and LSU in this year’s Elite Eight.
After Sunday’s game, Clark said she was only thinking about making her free throws after the foul and didn’t seem to find anything malicious about the play.
“It’s just part of basketball. It is what it is,” Clark said. “She’s trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens.”
Reese took aim at the referees over the call, while bracing for the attention the play was going to get.
“It’s a basketball play. I can’t control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot tonight,” Reese said. “I’m always going for the ball. Y’all are going to play that clip, what, 20 times before Monday?”
The Sky and Fever play again on Sunday in Chicago.
