The Fever versus the Chicago Sky game on Saturday gave WNBA fans yet another opportunity to talk about the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. With 4:38 remaining in the third quarter, Clark reached for the ball and tripped Reese in the process. While the Indiana player received a flagrant foul, Reese received a technical. But do you know what’s more interesting? That game drew an average of 2.7 million viewers on ABC. It peaked at 3.1 million viewers and became the league’s second-most viewed event after last year’s WNBA All-Star at 3.44 million!

And depending on who you ask, the incident between Clark and Reese could be tagged as exciting or terrible. Remember how the former was knocked around the court last year by veteran players? The physicality of the game was the topic of discussion last season, and it seems Clark had not just adjusted to it but dished out some of her own. And their most recent clash only drove up the online engagement and gave fans something to talk about for days.

But with this also came a different type of attention. Unwarranted scrutiny. Plenty of online discourse quickly turned racist and sexist; Something that the league was looking to leave behind. In the wake of this, former NBA player, Matt Barnes, has attempted to put forth an honest and objective assessment of the confrontation that took place between the WNBA players. On ALL THE SMOKE podcast on YouTube, Barnes stated: 

“I didn’t get a chance to see the game because I was coaching this weekend but from what I did see, Angel Reese pushed someone in the back. They didn’t call it. She got the offensive rebound. Caitlin Clark gave her a hard take foul. I definitely didn’t think it was. I think Angel dramatized it a little bit and and flailed but then she got up ready for smoke and now the talk is is this ‘does she hate’. I don’t give a s— if they like each other or not. Who cares? I think what has grown this game is the storyline and the rivalry that started back in college.” Well, Barnes isn’t wrong.

Remember the 2022–23 national championship game? In the LSU-Iowa title game, Reese celebrated LSU’s win by doing John Cena’s ‘You Can’t See Me’ move while also pointing at her ring finger to signal the win. It was a dig because Clark had done the same gesture in the Elite Eight (where she recorded a 41-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double against No. 5 Louisville), and John Cena took notice of it on X.

Further, Vernon Maxwell, who was also on the podcast with Matt Barnes, added his thoughts. While he said that he enjoys the rivalry, he disagreed with the hate Reese received because of it. And considering their history, the clash between Reese and Clark isn’t so surprising. It has just reignited, with NBA experts, legends, and fans partaking in the drama! Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas has also shared his opinion!

What are Gilbert Arenas and Sheryl Swoopes’ take on the heated clash?

In the recent episode of Gil’s Arena, the crew didn’t miss out on the chaotic clash. Reese’s biggest supporter and WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes shared her opinion that the refs were right about the foul. Similar to Barnes, the rest of the crew argued that Reese’s action toward Clark was because of her particular opponent.

Swoopes stated: “First of all, I think if anybody fouls Angel like that, she’s going to have that reaction. I don’t care who would have fouled Angel like that, she’s going to jump up with that.” But the rest of the crew was not convinced. Arenas countered with an instance from last year involving Alyssa Thomas, when Reese didn’t charge back at her. The call, which was initially a flagrant foul II, was later changed to an ejection.

But what do Clark and Reese think about their most recent clash? After the game, the Fever star clarified that there was no malicious intent. However, she disagreed with the foul. Reese, too, addressed the matter and had a very different sentiment than before. She said it was a “basketball play” but agreed with the referee’s decision.

Later in the game, the two were even seen sharing a high five. While at the end of the game they still had different opinions on the incident, the beef between the two doesn’t seem to have deepened, if there was any to begin with. What do you think?