The lights were bright, the buzz was real, and tickets weren’t cheap. For $66 a seat, fans poured into the arena hoping to witness the next great rivalry — Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese, a matchup hyped like Kobe vs. MJ. Dave Portnoy turned up courtside and walked away $350K richer. But most Sky fans? They left with questions. Reese racked up rebounds but missed shot after shot, the energy fizzling as quickly as it sparked.

It wasn’t a total dud — but for all the pre-game fireworks, the rivalry barely flickered. And now, one national analyst summed up what many were thinking: “Angel Reese needs to be better at basketball.”

In a recent post on X, What’s Wright? host Nick Wright didn’t mince words. Sharing a video clip that echoed the disappointment many felt, Wright said bluntly, “Angel Reese needs to be better if we want this rivalry to have some staying power… Right now she is a wildly famous rebounder.” — @getnickwright

The video clip also featured Wright referencing a viral tweet that captured the mood with savage precision: “Somebody had the funniest tweet on this. The Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry is like if Kobe had a rivalry with Marcin Gortat… and I just can’t get that out of my head.”

For context? Marcin Gortat — aka The Polish Hammer — was a 2.11-meter-tall journeyman center who carved out a solid, if unspectacular, NBA career. The comparison may be harsh, but it highlights a brutal truth: rivalries need balance. And right now, this one feels like a media-fueled mismatch.

Despite Reese recently becoming the fastest player in league history to notch 450 points and 450 rebounds, the accolade hasn’t silenced her critics — it’s only intensified the “stat-padding” chatter. Because when it comes to actual impact and efficiency, the gap is glaring.

To understand it better, let’s observe the season opener that the Fever had vs. the Sky. In the Fever’s showdown with the Sky on May 17, Clark drilled 4 of 5 shots from 25–29 feet — a blistering 80% shooting rate from deep range. Her jumpshots? Well, they hit 6-of-11 times. That’s 54.5% efficiency with defenders in her face.

Now contrast that with Reese: She went 9-of-17 on shots taken within five feet — a 52.9% clip near the rim. Her jump shot? Just 1-of-5. Layups? 8-of-17. That’s 47.1% on what should be the most automatic looks. So, yes — it’s easy to see why Wright’s comments might resonate with a majority of the WNBA fanbase.

Now, all that’s left to see now? Whether Angel Reese levels up or lets the rivalry dissolve into a one-sided storyline.

Clark’s Flagrant on Reese Sparks Heated Reactions

But that will have to wait until the dust settles on one of the most talked-about moments of the season: Caitlin Clark’s flagrant foul on Angel Reese.

The incident sparked a firestorm of debate, with Angel Reese’s aunt, Kristi Webb, publicly questioning Clark’s intent. Webb took to X, asking why Clark would commit a hard foul while already holding a commanding 20-point lead—a move many saw as unnecessary and provocative. And suddenly, it seemed like everyone had something to say.

Fever coach Stephanie White answered Webb’s question indirectly. In the postgame presser, she made one thing crystal clear: “Nobody’s going to get anything easy against us.” Translation? Toughness is in the Fever’s DNA — and it’s not up for negotiation.

Basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes seemed to want more from the moment. Speaking on Gil’s Arena, she said, “It was a hard foul, and the refs got it right. My thing? Stand in it. Don’t walk away.” So… stand there and let the tension erupt?

While Swoopes sounded ready to pour gasoline on the fire, former NFL star RG III was more concerned about the kind of blaze they were dealing with. In a blunt social media post, he claimed the animosity ran deeper than just basketball, calling it “genuine hatred” from Reese toward Clark — something far beyond a typical sports rivalry.

Meanwhile, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh’s early-season plea — “Shooting. We want shooting. And lots of it.” — seems to have fallen on deaf ears. On a night when the league was lit with drama, Chicago delivered one of its coldest shooting performances of the year.

Now that the noise has dulled and tempers have cooled, one question still lingers: Will this fiery flashpoint ignite a true rivalry for the ages — or fade away as just another dramatic footnote in a season full of heat?