Caitlin Clark Flagrant Foul on Angel Reese Sparks Debate — But It's Just Basketball
Whenever the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky face off, the spotlight shines a little brighter on the game. The two teams are viewed as rivals as their franchise stars, Indiana's Caitlin Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese, have a storied history dating back to college.
Saturday's showdown at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse increased this awareness after Clark committed a hard take-foul to stop Reese from getting an easy bucket, something players across the league do regularly. After review, officials upgraded it to a flagrant 1. Not exactly breaking news.
Caitlin Clark received a flagrant foul on this play.
— ESPN (@espn) May 17, 2025
Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese received offsetting technical fouls. pic.twitter.com/jzQYEW92TW
Reese, who fell to the floor after the play, bounced up and began to have words for Clark. The scuffle led to a technical foul called on Reese, which is also seemingly textbook officiating for the response.
But the reaction from fans set the internet on fire with takes ranging from “dirty play” on Clark to full-on debates about intent, sportsmanship, and everything in between. Some argued it was personal, others called it calculated. But with Clark and Reese’s names already linked together as rivals, the moment became a trigger point.
After the incident, sideline reporter Holly Rowe asked Clark what her perspective on the play was: “It’s just a good take-foul… either Angel gets a wide-open two points or we send them to the free-throw line. Nothing malicious about it. It was just a good take-foul, every basketball player knows that.”
Holly Rowe really asked Caitlin Clark about getting a flagrant 1 on Angel Reese 😱
— WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) May 17, 2025
🎥 @showcaseshabazz on X pic.twitter.com/9yoS12bvWI
Reese quickly summed up the play in the post-game presser as, “Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on,” seemingly not wanting to expand on the conversation.
The league clearly knows that these Clark vs Reese matchups draw attention and are billed to face off again during the WNBA's upcoming "Rivalry Week." This backdrop could be seen as stoking the flames, projecting more fuel onto the foul than what was likely there.
Reese’s Sky teammate, Ariel Atkins, took to Instagram to comment on the incident, saying, “Realistically, hard fouls happen. But the hate is unnecessary and the narrative y’all have built is weird to me and dangerous,” then finished off, “Just let them hoop.”
Ariel Atkins defending Angel Reese on Instagram. 🩵 pic.twitter.com/DPF6bQKzpX
— LANI ❦ (@___lovelani) May 18, 2025
Did Clark deserve the flagrant call? There's a case for it. Was Reese's response to the play appropriate? Perhaps not. And the technical foul call meets the criteria. But Flagrant fouls happen, and so do reactions to them.
If anything, the uproar says more about the spotlight Clark and Reese are under than it does about the play itself.
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Rosalina Lee is one of the premiere content creators in the women’s basketball space. She has written for such companies as Red Bull Sports and has teamed up with notable brands such as Madison Square Garden, going behind the scenes with the New York Knicks and Rangers. She is currently offering analysis and fresh takes into the world of women’s basketball on her YouTube channel, and now with Indiana Fever On SI and Women's Fastbreak On SI, keeping fans in the loop with all the latest action!
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