Women's Fastbreak On SI

Chicago Sky Star Calls Out 'Weird' Narrative Around Caitlin Clark's Flagrant Foul

One Chicago Sky player got honest about the aftermath of Caitlin Clark's flagrant foul on Angel Reese Saturday.
Grant Young|
May 6, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Sky guard Ariel Atkins (7) during the second half of a WNBA pre-season game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
May 6, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Sky guard Ariel Atkins (7) during the second half of a WNBA pre-season game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The women's basketball community is still buzzing about what took place in the third quarter of the Indiana Fever's game against the Chicago Sky on Saturday between global superstars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.

Clark received a flagrant foul for wrapping her arms around Reese as Reese went for a layup, then for, according to the game's referee, "wind up, impact, and follow through for the extension of the left hand to Reese's back".

Given the long-standing rivalry between Clark and Reese, this moment — especially Reese's infuriated response directed at Clark afterward — is prompting a ton of polarizing takes from fans.

And when the House of Highlights Instagram account posted about Clark and Reese "going at it" during the game, it caused Sky standout Ariel Atkins to comment and offer her own opinion around what took place and the discussion surrounding it afterward.

"Realistically, hard fouls happen.But the hate is unnecessary and the narrative y'all have built is weird to me and dangerous. Just let them hoop," Atkins wrote in the comment.

It's unclear what exactly Atkins is referring to (and who she's speaking to) when she discusses the "narrative" that has been built. One could speculate that she's speaking about pushing the agenda that what Clark did was more than merely a "basketball play", as both she and Reese alluded to after the flagrant foul occurred.

Regardless, there's no doubt that the rivalry between Clark and Reese (and between the Fever and the Sky) just received a fascinating new layer that's only going to add intrigue and eyeballs each time these two teams play in the future.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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