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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

After the Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese game yesterday, there were doubts swirling about the Sky locker room. According to many, the players just didn’t look like they agreed with each other on the court, and it led to their dismal shooting. However, Tyler Marsh was quick to dispel any such claims, saying, “We got her back in that locker room and on this coaching staff, and it’ll continue to be that way throughout the season“. Honestly, thank goodness for that. Because with all the heat Reese’s been catching just for hitting a milestone, she absolutely NEEDED her teammates standing strong beside her.

And it reminded us of A’ja Wilson, honestly. Remember when Wilson snatched an Olympic gold medal, set the single-season WNBA points record and the single-season rebounding record, and won even a unanimous MVP? Yeah, no one would expect, but she deleted her social media following that. Why? Well, we are all smart enough to guess.

This year just has really shown — blatantly — that you really have to work your ass off in order for people just to even look at you,” Wilson said. “No matter how well you’re doing, there’s always a certain amount of people that’s going to try to downgrade you and sweep you under the rug“. That statement can make one’s heart hurt. After all, she was the TIME WOY, and yet, no one spared her.

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When Wilson put up a post, captioning it, “Keep Going Up The Ladder, They Mad Make Em Madder 🤭✨‘25 BHM was one for the books 🤍 #BIYTC,” let’s just say the comments were brutal. However, Reese had her back then, as she dropped a simple but powerful “facts” comment in the sea of doubters.

Now, Reese finds herself in a sort of similar situation. Even though Reese’s shooting wasn’t great in the season-opener loss to the Fever, she still had a solid game if you look beyond that–finishing with 12 points and 17 rebounds. But the big highlight? Angel became the fastest player in WNBA history to hit 450+ points and 450+ rebounds. That’s a milestone worth celebrating! But the fans weren’t buying into all that hype. Social media quickly filled up with fan reactions and takes.

Sure enough, it’s all going to be tough to take for Reese. How the game unfolded, the scuffle that happened, her having to live up to piling expectations, and now, the criticism despite doing her all. Thankfully, Wilson’s grit in such moments must be fresh in her mind. Forbes recently featured Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson in an article titled “How Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson Lead the WNBA’s Growth,” and there’s no debate. They’re doing exactly that. However, as we said, many don’t agree.

Fans not impressed with new WNBA milestone for Angel Reese

Fans were not impressed with Angel Reese’s milestone and made their opinions loud and clear. One fan tweeted, “Half of those rebounds are her own misses, talk about a stat line not telling the whole story.” Another joined in, saying, “She only has this many rebounds because she misses 2/3 of her shots lol.”

 

This accusation of stat-padding against Reese is not new. It has been there since she has been there in the W. She had even issued an explanation last year, however, nothing has changed.

Coming into it, I just knew my motor,” Reese said. “Offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds is something that I know I can always do. I knew it was going to translate right away. That’s something a lot of players don’t want to do. A lot of people think it’s because I get my own rebounds, but statistically, it’s not.” Even Dwayne Wade could not escape the heat when he posted a “History in the making ⭐️,” after Reese set a rookie record for most rebounds and double-double games in a single season. Some even began questioning his basketball IQ.

Coming back to the present, one fan even joked, “Confirmed 397 rebounds from her own missed layups.” 

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See, even Clark has been accused of stat-padding. They were there after the recent game as well. A WNBA/NCAA content creator posted on X, writing, “Did Caitlin Clark stat pad for a triple double? Maybe So she only had 20 points, 10 assists, 9 boards, 2 steals & 4 blocks Awful stat line tbh & why Chelsea Gray is the #1 PG”. But the thing is that her offensive game is still widely respected.

And when it comes to Reese, there is enough denial regarding her impact on the defensive end. All this, after she racked up 44 steals, 16 blocks, and finished with a strong defensive rating of 99.0 last year. On top of that, she led the entire league in rebounds per game with an impressive 13.1. So, say what you want about her offense–defensively, she’s a force to be reckoned with!

One fan even claimed, “Give Caitlin Clark another year and she’ll beat it easily.” But that’s not how it works. While Clark’s red-hot performances have already put her second in WNBA history for the most 20-point, 10-assist games–just behind Courtney Vandersloot, who has played 431 games compared to Clark’s 41–the fan missed the point of what “fastest” means. Clark could very well finish her career with more points and rebounds, but she’ll never be the fastest to reach 450 points and 450 rebounds. As another fan rightly pointed out, “She will never have this record. You are dense.”

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The debate between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese could easily carry on until the day both stars decide to call it a career. And with all this stat-padding this and stat-padding that, it is clear not one of them is going to be at ease after making historical numbers. For that, we suggest you read Stephen Noh’s article titled “Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark stat-padding controversy: How valid are accusations against each player?”. It is not based on flowery language, instead, it is rooted in facts that might do everyone some good.

Not all comments were bad, though, and it’s relieving to see that there’s a growing part of the community that understands one simple truth — both players are great in their own ways. Sure, Clark might edge it when it comes to being the more complete offensive player, but Reese has a legitimate claim as one of the best, if not the best, defenders in the league. So maybe it’s time to stop the comparisons and just enjoy the show. These two are putting on a masterclass every time they step on the court!

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