Sue Bird Cites Diana Taurasi in Condemning Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Media Coverage

WNBA legend Sue Bird shared a strong message when speaking out about the coverage of Caitlin Clark's flagrant foul on Angel Reese.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts to a flagrant foul from Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts to a flagrant foul from Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even though Caitlin Clark's flagrant foul on Angel Reese happened five days ago, it's still one of the biggest discussion topics in the women's basketball community. Fans and pundits are offering tons of takes about this heated moment, along with everything that has occurred in the aftermath.

This moment has divided fans even more than the Clark and Reese rivalry already has. However, a lot of this discussion has taken place over social media — and social media isn't always indicative of the real world.

This is a similar sentiment to what WNBA legend Sue Bird shared during a May 22 episode of her A Touch More podcast when addressing how the Clark and Reese moment has been covered.

"There was Caitlin's hard foul, which turned into a flagrant on Angel Reese, which sparked all the things that we dealt with last season," Bird said. "The league currently is investigating any racism that happened from the fans, or anything that was said.

"It's almost as if we didn't learn from last year that Twitter conversation turns into mainstream media conversation, because the mainstream media still isn't quite hip to women's sports, they're not quite understanding this world, this game, and are putting all kinds of narratives all over the place," Bird added.

"If the players are unbothered, what are we doing? We're good. Was it a hard foul? Yes. It is possible that certain players in this league don't like each other? Yeah, that's sports!" Bird added.

"Do you know how many times I've wanted to literally punch Diana [Taurasi] in the face on the court? My best friend! Hate her on the court," Bird concluded.

Perhaps some observers will heed Bird's words and learn for 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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