No one expected Caitlin Clark’s season to start off with a flagrant, but that’s exactly what happened! It was quite an exciting encounter between the Indiana Fever and their budding rivals Chicago Sky, which brought back talks about Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese. Even though the stars themselves have dismissed the rivalry time and time again, we saw it in action in the very first game of the season. So if they want to duck the conversation, they may do so, but the fans won’t stop talking about it.

At one point in the game, Reese had pushed Natasha Howard to bring in a rebound, and Clark took swift action and reached in for the ball, smacking Reese’s arm in the process, who went on to take a tumble. The Sky player was furious but in the post-game conference stated: “Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on.” Now we can’t fault the players for being passionate, for hooping with a fire inside their hearts, but this encounter, and the game, did draw attention to the dynamics of their rivalry. Angel Reese has been criticized for her lack of efficiency and offensive consistency. The Sky superstar broke rebounding records aplenty in her rookie year, but she was always criticized for stat-padding.

In 2024, ESPN noted 40% of Reese’s rebounds were offensive, often from her own misses, fueling claims she intentionally missed shots to pad her double-double streak, though her aggressive style under the basket explains much of it. Every analyst and every expert was talking about the possibility of stats padding. However, during the season opener for both teams, the suspicious spotlight landed squarely on CC. Why?

Well, the Fever guard ended the game with a 20-10-10 triple-double, but it wasn’t as picture perfect as it seems. On the Breakfast Club on YouTube, show host Charlamagne tha God (Lenard Larry McKelvey) addressed the controversial performance. “It was a good triple double, but that last rebound she got was wack. She was already on the bench, and they brought her back.” He said, pointing out CC’s blatant stat padding on Saturday. Charlamagne carried on talking about how Clark didn’t get the same reaction that Reese did last year.

“I don’t wanna hear none of y’all talk about Angel Reese stat-padding no more. And the irony of her needing a rebound for the triple-double. She was on the bench and came back in the game to get that rebound. So I don’t want to hear y’all talking about Angel Reese stat padding no more, okay? We say Caitlin Clark blatantly stat pad on Saturday.” And it makes sense! The Chicago Sky rookie received a lot of flak last year for her rebounding exploits, but it seems like times are changing. But it doesn’t end here!

Clark recorded the third triple-double of her WNBA career in that game, which made her the fastest player in the history of the WNBA to do so in the 41st career game. Here’s where things get interesting. The player was on the bench, and as per reports, she begged coach Stephanie White to let her play in the fourth quarter.

Here are Clark’s stats from the Indiana Fever vs the Chicago Sky game on Saturday:

• Minutes: 31
• Points: 20
• Assists: 10
• Rebounds: 10
• Turnovers: 3
• FG shooting: 6-13
• 3-point shooting: 4-8
• Free throws: 4-4

Well, it will be interesting to see if Caitlin Clark does something similar in the upcoming games. But for now, the Fever versus Sky game has given fans plenty to talk about. For instance, the encounter between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark was certainly jarring. No one expected it after a long off-season of them denying any sort of rivalry, and it caught viewers by surprise. But is there any bad blood between the two superstars after their altercation?

Caitlin Clark denies any malicious intent during the Fever v Sky game!

Everyone knows how competitive Caitlin Clark is, but Saturday was probably the first time we’ve seen her go out all guns blazing. Picture this: Angel Reese and CC were battling it out for a rebound, and the Fever star slapped down hard on Reese’s hand, shaking the ball loose. Reese fell to the floor, and all hell broke loose.

The third-quarter play led to a flagrant-1 foul on Clark, with Reese and Fever’s Aliyah Boston receiving technicals for their reactions. There were words exchanged, of course. The Chicago Sky bench was holding Angel Reese back, and Aliyah Boston was playing mediator. However, what did Clark have to say about the play?

In the post-game press conference, she addressed the controversy head-on. “Let’s not make it something that it’s not,” Clark said. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion… I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious.”

Even Angel Reese, after getting a technical, spoke out about how it was just a basketball play. All seems well between the two stars, regardless of the drama that unfolded on Saturday. It will be interesting to see whether this rivalry deepens further during this season and how the stars fare against each other.

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.