Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s relationship has always been under intense media scrutiny. However, after a postgame moment between Clark and a reporter involving a question about Reese went viral following Team USA’s win over France in the FIBA World Cup, an ESPN veteran took notice.
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Following Team USA’s fifth-straight Gold medal at the FIBA World Cup, Clark was asked by a reporter whether the win meant that she was now friends with Reese. The guard admonished the reporter, telling him, “Don’t try to do that,” and that she and Reese have “always been friends.” She eventually even came back to tell him, “What the hell is wrong with you,” clearly displeased by the reporter’s question. That caught the attention of veteran ESPN studio host Cindy Brunson, who posted her reaction to the clip.
“This is the 2nd best thing to come out of Berlin after the Team USA 🇺🇸 Gold Medal 🥇,” Brunson wrote on X, replying to the clip of Clark. “Brava Caitlin Clark BRAVA 🥂.”
Clark and Reese’s on-court rivalry stretches back to their days in college, when Reese’s LSU Tigers beat Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 national championship game. However, since then, both players have maintained that they remain on good terms with each other, and when the time came to play together for Team USA, the fierce rivals have shared many moments on and off the court that show how their friendship has grown.
Following the Americans’ win over Hungary in the quarterfinals, Clark showed appreciation for Reese, telling reporters that “It’s been fun to be able to play with her” due to her relentlessness as a competitor.
One fun moment took place in Team USA’s opener against China, when the pair were seated together on the bench. Reese, talking to head coach Kara Lawson, saw Clark attempting to check into the game before the buzzer rang and told her to wait. The two then checked into the game together following the buzzer.
“Well, the ref had gotten mad at me a couple of times prior, so she was saving me from the ref getting mad at me again,” Clark later said about the moment, clearly amused.
This isn’t Brunson’s first time appreciating good treatment of Reese either. Earlier this tournament, following the win against Hungary, she praised the FIBA World Cup social media accounts for highlighting Reese’s play while taking subtle steps to ensure that sentiment was positive.
The FIBA World Cup X account captioned a Reese highlight with “We do not allow Angel Reese slander in this space 🙅🏾♀️,” prompting a response from Brunson.
“The #FIBAWWC admin understands the WHOLE assignment & could teach the W group a thing or two,” Brunson wrote on X, quoting the FIBA post.
As Team USA leaves Berlin with yet another gold medal, Clark and Reese have much more than their old rivalry to look forward to: a new chapter where winning together matters more than being compared against each other.