LSU’s Angel Reese Says ‘Me and Caitlin Clark Don’t Hate Each Other’ Before Iowa Game

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVMarch 31, 2024

Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

LSU star Angel Reese dismissed the notion there’s any animosity between her and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark as the pair prepare for a rematch in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

“I don’t think people realize it’s not personal,” Reese told reporters. “Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it’s like, ‘Hey, girl, what’s up? Let’s hang out.’ I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super-competitive game.”

“Once I get between those lines, there’s no friends,” the SEC Player of the Year added. “I’m going to talk trash to you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game, we can kick it. I don’t think people really realize that.”

Reese created the defining image of the 2023 tournament when she started celebrating the Tigers’ impending national championship victory. She directed the “you can’t see me” hand gesture at Clark and pointed to her ring finger in the waning seconds.

Unlike Clark, who received plenty of positive attention after taunting then-Louisville star Hailey Van Lith in an earlier round, Reese was accused by some of lacking class or showing little sportsmanship.

There was also a manufactured rivalry between Reese and Clark despite the latter publicly making it clear she thought it was much ado about nothing.

ESPN @espn”I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all.”

Caitlin Clark said she thought Angel Reese received too much backlash for her celebrations during the championship game. (via @OTLonESPN) pic.twitter.com/i8tZyO8bai

Once Clark and Iowa secured a return bout with the reigning national champions Saturday, she lauded the LSU squad and the broad impact the Tigers players have had.

Monday’s battle between the Hawkeyes and Tigers will be rich with narratives, but Reese and Clark have made it clear there’s no sort of individual grudge they share.