During a practice for the WNBA All-Star game, old rivals and temporary teammates Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese faced off in a half-court shooting contest.
It was reminiscent of last year’s national championship game: Reese beat Clark by scoring her shot from distance, without Clark missing the ball.
During the celebration, she didn’t point to her ring finger, she just stuck three fingers in the air and gave high-fives to her teammates, but Clark didn’t get any.
Reese’s shot deflected off the backboard from the halfway line and into the goal, the second attempt after Clark missed.
Following practice, Reese and WNBA All-Star teammate Arike Ogunbowale both received a $100 prize from head coach and legendary basketball legend Cheryl Miller for making a half-court shot.
Angel Reese takes a half-court shot during WNBA All-Star team practice in Phoenix
Reese gave high-fives to many of his teammates after scoring the ball, but not to Caitlin Clark
Both Reese and Clark are part of the WNBA All-Stars team that will compete against the U.S. Olympic team, which consists of a dozen WNBA players. The All-Star game between the mega-squads is Saturday night in Phoenix.
The rivalry between Clark and Reese is well documented at the college and professional levels.
In addition to the 2023 national championship game between Reese’s LSU and Clark’s Iowa, the Tigers and Hawkeyes also met in the Elite Eight earlier this year. Iowa won, ending LSU’s bid to regain the title in what turned out to be Reese’s final college game.
Clark was drafted six spots ahead of Reese in the WNBA Draft in April, and the two have faced each other three times as professionals.
Clark’s Indiana Fever won the first two matchups, with Reese’s Chicago Sky emerging victorious in the most recent matchup. Those games were filled with tense moments between Clark and a Sky player.
On June 1, Clark was bodychecked by Chennedy Carter, an action that was seen by fans as an act inconsistent with the basketball team’s good intentions.
Carter declined to answer questions about the matter during a post-game press conference, but he reiterated his words online: “What else does she have to offer besides three-pointers?” on Threads.
On June 16, Reese committed a major foul on Clark when the former LSU star missed a block attempt and struck Clark in the head with her arm, sending her rival to the ground in pain.
Reese also spoke negatively about Clark and her team to the press, claiming they had a “special whistle.”
However, it seems that the bad blood relations between Clark and Reese are only as opponents. They were trained together for the match in good spirit and without animosity towards each other.