Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the U.S., has weighed in on ‘horrible opinions’ surrounding Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s WNBA rivalry in a recent interview
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed her dismay at the “horrible opinions” about the WNBA’s hottest rivalry, Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese.
Clark and Reese’s rivalry dates back to their collegiate playing days at Iowa and LSU, respectively. The pair faced off in a national championship game in 2023, won by the Tigers, with Reese producing the infamous ring-finger celebration aimed at Clark.
The pair were then drafted first and seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, taking their rivalry to the pros and putting it under the WNBA spotlight. This season saw their first on-court confrontation, with Clark being penalized for a flagrant 1 on Reese, who was attempting an offensive rebound.
Reese immediately got to her feet to confront Clark and had to be held back by players and coaches. The moment was one of, if not the most, viral moments of the 2025 WNBA season, garnering many positive and negative reactions.
Former First Lady, Obama, doesn’t have time for the “horrible opinions” over the WNBA’s biggest rivalry. They’re primarily delivered on social media, which has only amplified negativity. “I think the tough thing is the social media element to it, but that’s true across the board,” Obama said Thursday via All The Smoke.
“I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show. It just, you know, it just takes a normal occurrence. You know these young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand because social media is such a huge part of their world.”
“I mean, you know, there’s the hate, but now the hate is in your room on your phone with you all the time,” Obama added. “And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off because they’re making their living that way.
“I mean, that they now are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder now to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”
Despite their confrontations, Clark and Reese have maintained respect for each other, and rarely get dragged into direct comments about one another.
Even after their on-court incident, Reese rushed to brush over it and branded Clark’s move a “basketball play.”
“Let’s not make it something that it’s not,” Clark also said. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion.
“It’s a take foul to put them at the free throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”
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