College Sports

The best Photos of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s Infamous Feud

Darren Ryding - April 15, 2024
College Sports

The best Photos of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s Infamous Feud

Darren Ryding - April 15, 2024

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are two of the best women’s college basketball players of their generation. They’ve revolutionized the sport and brought millions of eyes to their epic clashes. However, there’s no love lost between the Iowa and LSU stars as they have an infamous feud.

Let’s look at some of the most dramatic photos from their relationship on and off the court. These two women are inspiring young girls across the globe with their amazing skills. Check them out now.

All-Out-Action

Here’s a great shot of Clark in full flight against LSU in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Women’s Tournament. Over 16 million people tuned in to watch their rematch. This also made it the most-watched women’s sports event ever on ESPN. Everybody wanted to see Clark face her biggest rival, Reese.

Lsu Players Angel Reese (10) Aneesah Morrow (24) And Flau'jae Johnson (4) Defend Against Iowa Guard Caitlin Clark
AP

However, there’s no denying that Clark stole the show with a sensational performance. The Iowa star scored 41 points with 12 assists as LSU failed to shackle her. Hopefully, this won’t be the final time we see them clash. Both women will turn pro next season (via Wisconsin Public Radio).

Emotional

Reese made headlines after the big game in 2024. LSU suffered an emotional defeat against Iowa and Reese received a torrent of abuse online. Many people love to hate the Bayou Barbie but she doesn’t deserve it. She bravely made some statements about her mindset and experiences.

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CNN

The young star said she had death threats and that people constantly sexualized her. She said: “I’ve been so many things and I’ve stood strong every single time. I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and not be there for them. I’m still a human (via People).

No Love Lost

This was one of the most infamous moments of Reese and Clark’s infamous feud. The Tigers captured their first National Championship as they won 102-85. It was a seminal moment for Reese as she achieved a double-double. But many haters focused on the John Cena hand gesture she made below.

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ABC

They said that it was unclassy and that she was a bad winner. But Reese didn’t care and said it was all part of the rivalry. “Twitter can say what they want to say,” she said. “I love reading those comments. I have all the screenshots of what everybody has said about me all season. What are you going to say now? (via ABC).”

Goodbye College

The Tigers didn’t get the result that they wanted in 2024. But Reese leaves the college ranks as a winner. She crossed the National Championship off her list and was 2023’s Most Outstanding Player. Meanwhile, she has so many side hustles that she could probably quit the sport and make millions.

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Instagram

“I’m leaving college with everything I ever wanted: a degree, a national championship, and this platform I could never imagine,” Reese wrote on Instagram. “This is for the girls that look like me.” Clark is arguably the better player but Reese is a bigger personality and is a bonafide superstar-in-waiting.

Lucky

Some fans love to deride women’s sports but they couldn’t resist the opportunity to watch history. They knew that Clark was a generational talent and that ignoring her rivalry with Reese was impossible. Fans watched her put on a clinic against the Tigers as she launched her team into the next round (via Michigan Public).

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SportsGrid

Clark is a born winner and dreams of leading Iowa to glory. She is the Hawkeyes’ standout player and they will need her to be at her best. “I think being so close last year, it gives you a little fire and what you need to do,” Clark said. “Women’s basketball is at its best right now and we’re just lucky to be a part of it.”

The Crown

The 2024 clash between these bitter rivals saw more casual fans tune in than ever before. Reese raised eyebrows when she left a golden crown on her seat before the game. Many people assumed that she was trolling Clark because she won the Championship the previous year.

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Twitter

She attracted plenty of online criticism but her fans were quick to defend her. They pointed out that this was something that Reese did before every game regardless of the opponent. Haters love finding reasons to condemn Reese because they don’t like seeing successful young women (via Whiskey Riff).

Mutual Respect

Don’t underestimate the importance of this rivalry. Men’s basketball is in decline because more stars are entering the NBA Draft in their first year of eligibility. Now there’s a deficit of stars in the sport. Clark and Reese provided some much-needed glitz and intensity to March Madness (via Health News Florida).

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CBS Sports

Reese had a classy reaction to defeat after the game. She said: “I think it’s just great for the sport, just being able to be a part of history. Like I said, no matter which way it went tonight, I knew this was going to be a night for the ages. And just being able to be a part of history is great.”

Great Coach

Everybody knows that Clark has massive respect for LSU coach Kim Mulkey. Mulkey has transformed the Tigers’ basketball program and turned them into a force. She also gave Reese the platform to develop into one of the sport’s most exciting and dynamic players (via Bleacher Report).

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Marca

Meanwhile, Mulkey recognizes greatness when she sees it. She’s as much a part of this rivalry as Clark and Reese themselves. After the LSU suffered defeat in 2024  she told the media what she said to Clark. What did I say to her?” Mulkey revealed. “I said, ‘I sure am glad you leaving.’ I said, ‘Girl, you something else. Never seen anything like it.'”

No Hate

The picture below is poor quality but it’s the only image on the Internet of Clark and Reese embracing. They hugged after their final college clash in 2024. Many people assume that they despise each other but the reality is that they are incredible competitors. They brought the best out in each other.

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Twitter

Meanwhile, Reese insisted: “Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super-competitive game.” This is fair and it’s something that we see in every sport. Yes, they had an infamous feud but they never went too far (via New York Post).

Competitive

Many people didn’t appreciate the way Reese made the John Cena sign during their epic clash in 2023. However, Clark didn’t have any problem with it and said that was all part of the game. She also hinted that men wouldn’t receive the same criticism for trolling their opponents (via USA Today).

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CNN

Clark said: “We’re all competitive. We all show our emotions differently. You know, Angel is a tremendous, tremendous player. I have nothing but respect for her. I love her game – the way she rebounds the ball and scores the ball is incredible. I’m a big fan of her and even the entire LSU team. They played an amazing game.”

Superstar

Reese is arguably better at building her brand than Clark. She has a very different personality from her rival and likes doing photoshoots with fashion stalwarts like Teen Vogue below. The Louisiana native says that it’s important to exploit NIL opportunities while she can.

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Teen Vogue

She explained: “WNBA players don’t make as much money as they should. Being able to grow this now, while I’m in college, and doing this now can help me when I go to the WNBA.” This shows that she’s got a stronger business sense than many people expect.

Political Storm

There was chaos in 2023 after LSU won the National Championship. The White House traditionally invites winners to meet the incumbent President. However, in their wisdom, they considered inviting Clark’s Iowa as runner-up. This instigated a conversation on race perceptions in the U.S. In the end, they changed their minds.

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People

Clark also politely shut down the invite (via New York Post). She said: “I think LSU should enjoy that moment for them and congratulations, they deserve to go there. Maybe, I could go to the White House on different terms though. That’s for LSU. That’s a pretty cool moment and they should enjoy every single second of being a champion.”

Great Teammate

Clark is a bonafide superstar now and some people worry that fame is going to her head. But this isn’t the case because she has the respect and admiration of all her teammates. This isn’t something that every elite player can say. Her coach Lisa Bluder has nothing but good things to say about her (via Yahoo!).

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Fox News

Bluder said: “Everyone on that team loves her. They are not jealous of her. They know how hard she works for it. And they know what she brings to our team. So I’m very thankful that I have a group of women that understand that.” This is excellent news for NBA scouts.

Instagram Queen

There’s no denying that there’s one area where Reese beats Clark. She has almost triple the number of Instagram followers as her rival on the platform with about three million. It’s an incredible number and shows how well she connects with young women across the world.

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Instagram

Furthermore, she’s not afraid to embrace her femininity and this attracts many male followers too. The photo above shows Reese vacationing in the Bahamas. Her massive fanbase is catnip for advertisers and she has many endorsements. It’s not difficult to see why they love her (via New York Post).

Endorsement Deals

Reese has the Instagram followers but Clark has the most valuable endorsements. Many college athletes are benefiting from NIL rules allowing them to make money from sponsorships. Clark is the most lucrative female basketball player in college right now with about three million dollars in deals.

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Instagram

She includes Gatorade and Nike in her portfolio of blue-chip partners. This makes her a force on and off the court. Reese is second on the women’s basketball list and earns a respectable $1.5 million from deals. These brilliant players know how to play the game in the boardroom too (via AS).

The Naismith Trophy

This is one of the biggest honors that a female basketball athlete can receive. Clark is a two-time Naismith Trophy winner as she shattered records across the board. Reese never won this coveted prize and didn’t even make the shortlist in 2023. Voters said that Clark’s dominance made her claim undeniable.

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AP

We can see Clark’s genuine pride and pleasure in the photo above. It’s a majestic trophy and, amazingly, she claimed this prize twice. We wonder if she would swap it for a ring and team glory. In the end, it’s the individual awards that will make her the WNBA Draft No. 1 pick (via Hawk Fanatic).

Three-Point Queen

Reese and Clark have an intense rivalry but there’s no denying that the latter is the standout player. She broke Steph Curry’s longstanding three-point record in March 2024. She eclipsed his record of most three-pointers in a single college season. The achievement came in a clash with the Penn State Lady Lions.

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CNN

These days there’s no real danger of future NBA stars touching Curry’s record because they enter the Draft so early. It’s a wild time for the sport and women are leading the way. Only time will tell how Clark prospers in the WNBA but the signs are very promising (via SCMP).

Agony

Many people take shots at Reese and think that she only cares about herself. This isn’t the case because she adores basketball and gives everything to LSU. The photo below shows the future WNBA star after Iowa beat the Tigers. It’s an emotional moment and the pain is evident on her face (via Fox 44).

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Fox 44

It doesn’t matter that she already won the National Championship. She desperately wanted to beat her old rival and move toward another ring. Reese knows that some basketball fans don’t treat her with the same respect. Now she’s moving into the Pro Leagues as she looks to take the next step.

Big-10 Champion

Clark turned the Big 10 tournament into a must-watch event. Thousands of people watched her Iowa Hawkeyes claim Conference gold. However, Nebraska made them work for it as they led at halftime in the final. Clark also had a poor start to the event as she missed multiple three-pointers.

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Instagram

But they woke up after the break and Clark was unstoppable. In the photo above, we can see her proudly clutching the trophy close to her. It was a great moment for the future WNBA star. This also made them one of the favorites for the March Madness Tournament (via Fox News).

National Champion

All of the Conference titles in the world mean nothing compared to winning the NCAA National Championship. Reese and her LSU teammates achieved this in 2023 in a seminal moment for the school. Now Clark dreams of emulating her greatest rival’s success after beating them in the Elite Eight.

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Instagram

It’s an incredible time for women’s basketball because everybody is talking about it. Nobody can say that the personalities or the gameplay aren’t exciting. Let’s hope that Reese and Clark carry their rivalry into the WNBA and that we see them battle for supremacy again (via NPR).

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