Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese took heat on social media during Saturday’s 71-70 loss to the Indiana Fever amid an incident between her teammate Chennedy Carter and Caitlin Clark. Clark was on the receiving end of a hard hip-check from Carter in the third quarter. As the whistle blew, the ESPN broadcast caught Reese getting up off the bench and appearing to cheer on Carter. She was also the first one to greet the veteran player as the quarter ended. Later, Reese knocked Clark down to the floor while trying to block out. Clark got up and looked over to the WNBA referee for a foul call. There was none.
Now another Sky player with a cheap shot on Caitlin Clark. Angel Reese with the elbow and then stare down. That’s not basketball. pic.twitter.com/gXwPcaatY8
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) June 1, 2024
But there was a storm of criticism on social media of Reese during and after the game. She was called out for cheering on Carter’s alleged “cheap shot”
Angel Reese cheering cheap shot ball pic.twitter.com/uhddcJnMR3
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) June 1, 2024
Carter said after the game that she wasn’t answering any questions about Clark. Clark told reporters that she didn’t want to retaliate against any Sky players and possibly hurt her team’s chances of winning the game. “I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s just, ‘Respond, calm down and let your play do the talking.’ It is what it is,” she said of the Carter incident, via the Indy Star.
Indiana’s win marked its first in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Each team in the in-season tournament will play five games against their conference rivals. The team from each conference with the top record will compete in the final with $500,000 in prize money on the line.
All games are played during a two-week period from June 1 to June 13.
