Caitlin Clark isn’t the only player who has been getting unfair treatment since making the jump to the WNBA.
Angel Reese, who plays for the Chicago Sky and has been seen as Clark’s rival since feuding in college, has revealed that some of Clark’s fans have crossed the line.
According to Reese, fans of Clark have directed racist comments towards her and made death threats, among other things.
Reese, the seventh overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft, opened up about the issues on the debut episode of her podcast, Unapologetically Angel, released Thursday.
The 22-year-old made sure to point out that Clark, also 22, is not to blame for the actions of her fans, saying that she didn’t believe the Fever superstar “stands on any of that.”
“I think it’s really just the fans. Her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are like, they ride for her and I respect that respectfully,” Reese said.
“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 comes to death threats – I’m talking about people have come down to my address, followed me home.
“It’s come down to multiple occasions people have made AI pictures of me naked, literally.”
She said that people have sent those AI-generated explicit images to her family members, who then reached out to her.
During the hour-long episode, Reese also said that Clark “is an amazing player and I’ve always thought she’s an amazing player.”
The duo have been seen as rivals since their teams met in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament two years ago, with Reese’s LSU squad besting Clark’s Iowa Cyclones in the championship game. This past spring’s tournament saw Clark get her revenge, knocking out Reese’s Tigers in the Elite Eight.
Both players have had outstanding rookie seasons in the WNBA, with Clark setting several league and franchise records while Reese has notched a league-leading 13.2 rebounds per game.
While the two teamed up during the WNBA all-star game in July, Reese thinks she and Clark will eventually be real teammates.
“We’re gonna play on the same team one day, I’m sure. We’re gonna definitely play on the same team one day,” Reese said.