The 2025 WNBA season is shaping up to be one of the most electric in recent memoryâand not just because of the talent on the court. From packed arenas to record-breaking ratings, womenâs basketball is finally enjoying its long-overdue moment in the sun. Yet amid all this excitement, thereâs a dark cloud of discourse hovering over the league, one driven less by athletic analysis and more by uncomfortable cultural tension.
Much of that tension has crystallized around two young stars: Caitlin Clark, the Iowa phenom turned Indiana Fever rookie sensation, and Angel Reese, the unapologetic LSU champion now lighting up the Chicago Sky. Every play they make, every comment they share, and every foul exchanged between them is instantly dissected, replayed, and argued about online. But why? Why do these two competitorsâboth supremely talented, both fierce and focusedâinvite such relentless debate?
To understand that, we need to step back and unpack the narratives that have surrounded them since college. Because whatâs happening now isnât just about basketball. Itâs about race, gender, media framing, and how we, as a society, choose our heroes and villains.
âA Rivalry the Media Was Desperate to Create
When Clark and Reese clashed in the 2023 NCAA Championship, it was a television dream come true: a white superstar with limitless shooting range versus a Black powerhouse who dominated the paint and talked just as much game. The postgame hand gestures and pointed celebrations ignited the internet. âClasslessâ was the word hurled at Reese. âFiery competitorâ was used for Clark. And just like that, the sports world had crowned its narrativeâReese, the villain. Clark, the golden girl.
But the truth is far more complex. These are two young women at the top of their game, competing in a league where physicality and passion have always been part of the fabric. So why are we so uncomfortable letting them be what they areâathletes?
Jemele Hill recently addressed this imbalance on her podcast, Spolitics, calling out the mediaâs obsession with personalizing what should be professional competition. âRGIIIâs opinion wasnât a sports take,â she said, referring to Robert Griffin IIIâs viral suggestion that Reese âhatesâ Clark. âHis observation isnât about basketball. Itâs about projecting something deeperâsomething personal and unverified.â