Although rivals on the court, Caitlin Clark expressed sadness upon hearing that Angel Reese would miss the rest of the WNBA season due to injury.
The Indiana Fever star described Reese’s situation as “devastating” and praised the Chicago Sky forward for her impressive rookie season.
“It’s always tough to see anyone get injured, especially those you entered the league with,” Clark commented. “Whether it’s Cam (Brink) or Angel, and especially Angel.”
She added, “You want to see her complete this year—she’s had a remarkable season and accomplished so much.”
Reese revealed on social media Saturday that her season was over, with the Sky later confirming it was due to a wrist injury.
What a year. I never would have imagined the last bucket of my rookie season would be a 3 but maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they will be seeing more of in Year 2 lol🥲Through it all, I have showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed.… pic.twitter.com/re1X85mWR2
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) September 8, 2024
Angel Reese finished her rookie season averaging 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game, while also setting a single-season rebound record and a rookie record with 26 double-doubles.
Caitlin Clark praised Reese’s achievements and pointed out that this year’s rookie class has been significantly affected by injuries.
“Playing against her, her energy is among the highest in the league, if not the best. She just keeps pushing,” Clark stated. “Congratulations to her; she had an outstanding year. She entered the league and continued to excel as she always has throughout her career, at least since I’ve known her. It’s truly heartbreaking. You never want to see a player go through that.”
She added, “Additionally, our rookie class has unfortunately been impacted by more injuries than we’d hoped.”
Despite being rivals on the court since their college days, Clark and Reese have shown mutual support off the court.
However, Reese has experienced misconduct from Clark’s fans, who, according to her, have made racist remarks and issued death threats.
Reese discussed these issues on the first episode of her podcast, *Unapologetically Angel*, released last Thursday.
The 22-year-old clarified that Clark, also 22, is not responsible for her fans’ behavior, stating that she believes the Indiana Fever star does not condone such actions.
“I think it’s solely the fans. Her supporters from Iowa and now Indiana are passionate, and I respect that,” Reese said. “But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I believe there’s a lot of racism involved, and I don’t think she supports any of that. Regarding death threats, people have come to my address and followed me home.
“There have also been multiple instances of people creating AI-generated nude images of me, literally.”
Angel Reese on her relationship with Caitlin Clark 👀
Watch full episode here: https://t.co/PRkTaOQ3PO pic.twitter.com/VXGafURpvk
— Unapologetically Angel (@angelreeseshow) September 5, 2024
Reese revealed that people have sent AI-generated explicit images of her to her family members, who then contacted her about the disturbing content.
During the hour-long podcast episode, Reese also acknowledged Clark’s talent, stating, “Caitlin is an amazing player, and I’ve always thought she’s an amazing player.”