Watch: Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark have heated exchange after hard foul during Sky-Fever game

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had a heated exchange after the Indiana Fever sharpshooter fouled the Chicago Sky forward in the third quarter of their matchup Saturday.  Reese pushed Fever forward Natasha Howard in the back as she grabbed an offensive rebound off a miss by teammate Rebecca Allen.  Reese brought the ball low, and Clark fouled her before she went up for a shot. Reese fell to the ground.  Reese got up from the floor and got into the face of Clark.  Referees looked at the play and determined Clark used her left hand to shove Reese to the floor. They upgraded the personal foul on Clark to a flagrant foul. And Reese and Aliyah Boston of the Fever were issued technical fouls.

CAITLIN CLARK VS. ANGEL REESE. 🍿🔥

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— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 17, 2025

“Nothing malicious about it, just a good take foul,” Clark told ESPN’s Holly Rowe.  It seemed to be another chapter in the rivalry between Clark and Reese.  The two had an intense rivalry during their time in women’s college basketball. Clark spoke on the importance of defeating rivals on the floor before the game against Chicago.

“Rivalries are real, and that’s what makes sports so amazing,” Clark told ESPN. “There’s certain teams that those games just mean a little bit more. [We] come out here and play the same way every night, but [a rivalry] gets the fans involved, and they love it.”  Clark’s history with the Sky began last season.  Clark took a series of questionable fouls from Reese’s Sky throughout the 2024 season, including one from Reese June 16.

Clark also took an infamous illegal hip check from Chicago Sky forward Chennedy Carter June 1. Then, in late August, Chicago’s Diamond DeShields committed a hard foul on Clark, who went flying across the floor. The foul was later upgraded to a flagrant violation, and DeShields later posted screenshots of hate messages she had received from the foul.  But Clark’s team prevailed, taking three of the four meetings between the teams last year, which were among the most-watched WNBA contests all season.