A brief on-court moment involving Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese during Team USA’s FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying game has quickly become the latest flashpoint in one of basketball’s most closely watched rivalries.
During the United States’ 91–48 win over Puerto Rico, cameras caught Reese extending her hand toward Clark for a high-five. Clark walked in the opposite direction without acknowledging the gesture, leaving Reese momentarily holding her hand in the air.
The moment stood out because Clark and Reese are now teammates while competing for a place in the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup.
Clark, the Indiana Fever guard who burst into the league as the 2024 Rookie of the Year and a Time Magazine Athlete of the Year honoree, has become one of the sport’s most recognizable faces.
Part of that attention stems from her ongoing rivalry with Reese, the Chicago Sky forward whose rise began during LSU’s 2023 championship run. Their first major clash came in the NCAA women’s title game that year, when Reese celebrated late in LSU’s victory by pointing to her ring finger in Clark’s direction, while making the ‘You can’t see me’ hand gesture, which originated with either John Cena or Tony Yayo, depending on whose lore you believe.
Their competitive history continued when both players entered the WNBA. During the 2024 season, several physical plays between the Fever and the Sky fueled conversation about the intensity of their matchups.
One incident occurred when Reese committed a hard foul on Clark while contesting a rebound.
Another confrontation occurred the following year during a tense Fever–Sky game. Reese pushed Indiana forward Natasha Howard while battling for an offensive board, and Clark fouled Reese before she could attempt a shot. Reese fell to the floor and quickly got back up to confront Clark.
Officials reviewed the play and upgraded Clark’s foul to a flagrant, while Reese and Indiana center Aliyah Boston were also assessed technical fouls.
Clark addressed that sequence afterward in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, explaining that there was “nothing malicious about it, just a good take foul.”