Angel Reese's weekend showed both sides of her WNBA career. The Atlanta Dream forward has become one of the league’s best rebounders after breaking Atlanta’s single-season rebounding record.

However, she still faces criticism about her offense, especially when compared with Caitlin Clark. The Clark-Reese rivalry began in college at LSU and Iowa. It helped bring huge amount of attention to women’s basketball.

“For five years, Angel Reese asked for the same amount of attention as Caitlin Clark. She got it this weekend, and today, she’s the punchline”, Whitlock wrote on X, sharing a clip from his podcast, Fearless with Jason Whitlock. 

On the August 17 episode of Fearless with Jason Whitlock, Whitlock said Reese gained from the rivalry, but the spotlight also increased criticism of her game.

Whitlock said Reese’s connection with Clark has given her a lot of attention and business opportunities. However, that same attention also makes it easier for people to focus on her weaknesses.

"Angel Reese wanted to be Caitlyn Clark's rival. She was smart enough to see the financial benefit of being attached to Clark," Whitlock said. "But there's a price, too. Her lack of offensive skill set next to Clark's is a hatchet chopping at her reputation."

He believes Reese benefited from the attention around their rivalry, but the constant comparisons also brought more criticism.

Whitlock then talked about their different offensive games. He said Clark has a bigger impact through scoring and playmaking, while Reese’s biggest strength is rebounding.

“Clark's game produces offense that bends scouting reports and ticket lines. Reese's game produces boards and vibes,” Whitlock added.

He admitted that some criticism of Reese goes too far. However, he also believes some criticism is fair based on her performances.

His argument was simple. Reese chose to embrace the spotlight, so she also has to accept the attention and criticism that come with her performances.

Angel Reese's success makes the conversation more complicated

An August 17 report from Sportsnaut provides more context about the criticism Reese faces. Her value is not only about scoring. She helps Atlanta with rebounding, physical play, and creating extra chances.

Reese recently broke Atlanta’s single-season rebounding record. However, Whitlock focused on one missed chance. He said Angel Reese could have won a tied game after her teammate missed a three-pointer, but she missed at the rim.

He then connected Clark’s reaction to their long rivalry, saying, “Then the cameras caught Caitlin Clark laughing, smiling, probably at Angel.”

Whitlock linked that moment to Reese’s past with Clark. He argued that the reaction was a reaction to Reese's taunts towards Clark during their college rivalry.

This story is about more than one missed shot. Reese has become one of the most well-known players in the WNBA. But with fans regularly comparing her to the Indiana Fever guard, it also puts more attention on her weaknesses.

Her rebounding record shows that she is still a major player, but her offense will continue to affect how people judge her.

This brings up a bigger question: If Reese chose to accept the spotlight from her rivalry with Clark, how much of the criticism that comes with it should she also accept? Let us know your point of view in the comments. 

Read more at Her Sports Nation.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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Edited by

Arundhoti Palit