INDIANAPOLIS — By nature, rivalries make everything feel bigger.
Wins feel enormous. Losses feel crushing. Big performances by players elevate them to cult hero status.
And hard fouls? Well, those certainly elicit a lot more emotion.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are no strangers to any of that, due to a rivalry dating back to their college years, and on Saturday they got even more familiar: During the third quarter after Saturday’s season opener that was quickly turning into a blowout Fever win, Clark prevented Reese from finishing an open layup with a hard foul.
And just like that, a foul that is seen on a regular basis in basketball became something much bigger because of their preexisting rivalry.
Still, despite how routine of a hard foul that appeared to be, it’s also fair to say the players felt the weight of their previous clashes a bit in the moment. Reese immediately sprung up from the floor in pursuit of Clark, who dismissively turned her back to the fracas. Fever center Aliyah Boston stepped between the pair to de-escalate things as the two teams were guided to their respective benches.
After review, officials upgraded Clark’s foul to a flagrant one while also giving technicals to Boston and Reese, for the former for stopping two faces of the league from a potential skirmish and suspension, an action she will receive a $200 fine for.
Between the third and fourth quarters, Clark spoke to sideline reporter Holly Rowe of ESPN and downplayed the matter.
Caitlin Clark to Holly Rowe on the flagrant 1 on Angel Reese:
“It’s just a good take foul. Either Angel gets wide open 2 points. Or, you know, we send them to the free throw line. Nothing malicious about it. Just a good take foul. Every basketball player knows that.”
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) May 17, 2025
Clark went even further during her postgame presser as she remained adamant that she did nothing more than make a basketball play.
“Let’s not make it anything that it’s not,” Clark said. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the refs saw to upgrade it and that’s up to their discretion…We watch a lot of basketball. It’s a take foul to put them at the free throw line. We’re not going to give up two points.
“I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life. That’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player that I am. This wasn’t anything like that. I went for the ball.”
Once emotions cooled for Reese, she, too, downplayed matters.
This, however, will probably do very little to tamp down the discussions nationally.
Saturday was not the first time the two were involved in a basketball play that got much bigger. Last season, Reese hit Clark in the head while going for a block, another play that is not uncommon in basketball, but blew up into something larger because of who was involved.
While their rivalry started under different circumstances, more recently, it’s been defined by basketball plays being overanalyzed. In reality, there isn’t much other substance to the beef at this point between Clark and Reese.
When it comes to the actual on-court product, their two teams are on completely different trajectories. On Saturday, the Fever tied their second-largest margin of victory in franchise history with a 35-point win. That comes after the final meeting between the two teams last season was a blowout as well.
Historically, there is no rivalry with the Fever and Sky. And personal rivalry or no, it hasn’t been competitive since their new respective stars entered the league, either, as Indiana is now 4-1 against Chicago since Clark and Reese entered the league. Indiana is talking about competing for a title while the Sky lost 12 of their final 14 games last year before their blowout defeat to open this season.
If there’s any sort of rivalry here, it’s between the players, or perhaps more accurately, between their supporters.
The first sparks started when LSU, led by Reese, was putting the final touches on a national title over Iowa and Clark in 2023. Reese let it fly with the taunts, pointing to her finger as a symbol of the championship ring to come.
Clark took the trash talk in stride, got her revenge the next season in the Elite Eight rematch and both moved to the WNBA, ushering in a new era of fans and eyes to the league. Even as Clark and the Sky had plenty of rivalry-creating moments last year, it never went beyond the court.
Reese spoke about how much fans love to talk about the two, acknowledging that people tune in to watch them. The pair teamed up in the All-Star game, and Reese even expressed excitement about playing together (via Josh Weinfuss/ESPN).
“I’m looking forward to it,” Reese said. “Everybody can wear their ‘Get Along’ shirts together for one day, at least. So I know a lot of people are going to come and watch us, to see all of us, but there’s a lot of talent within both rosters of the teams, so they’re in for a good one.”
Prior to Saturday’s game, Clark spoke about the rivalry between the two sides, but focused on how good it is for the fans and basketball.
“Rivalry is great for sport,” Clark said. “Like, I understand that. I grew up loving rivalries. I grew up in Iowa. Iowa-Iowa State, that’s like a pro matchup in the state of Iowa. I understand that. Or whether it was my high school team. I still hate our rival high school, Valley High School…I think for the fans, it’s great. They love it. I mean, Chicago is the closest team to us. I get it geographically.”
Admittedly, though, the “Get Along” shirts are probably gone at this point. Both may downplay it, but in the moment, it was clear that there was a little extra going on between the two players, whether it was the shove at the end from Clark that (likely) led to the call being upgraded, or Reese’s reaction.
At the same time, both players have also demonstrated an ability to quickly move on from whatever happens on the court, something their fanbases have not expressed a desire or willingness to do.
Saturday’s moment solidified that Clark and Reese will remain linked with each other. When the two sides meet again in Chicago in three weeks, the focus will be on the two of them, no matter where their teams are in the standings, and regardless of what the pair says between now and then.
But what Saturday also highlighted is that for now, this rivalry is being defined more by the reaction of everyone else to what is happening on the floor, rather than any direct animosity.