Over the weekend, Caitlin Clark was on the receiving end of another hard foul. Angel Reese was the culprit this time. And once again, many came to Clark's aid with accusations that her fellow WNBA players are mistreating her.
And once again, Clark didn't even believe the situation was a significant issue.
Caitlin Clark received a hard foul after being hit across the head by Angel Reese during a drive to the basket in the third quarter of the Indiana Fever's win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday, June 16.
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Reese received a flagrant one for the contact.
The foul ignited another firestorm on social media, as many called out Reese for the hit. Reese and Clark have history, as their colleges have faced one another in each of the last two NCAA tournaments.
Reese took a lot of heat from social media as many claimed she was taunting Clark and Iowa, while others chalked it up to regular celebrating that's normal on the court.
But Clark didn't think Reese deserved the heat.
"I don't think Angel should be criticized at all," Clark said in an interview with ESPN. "No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I'm just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talk. It's not just me and Angel."
With physical contact occurring this time around, there was some more heat thrown at Reese. Former NFL quarterback and Fox broadcaster Matt Leinart even posted on X that he believes Reese should be suspended.
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Angel Reese should be suspended. Period. Not good for the game.
— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) June 16, 2024
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also called out Reese and the Sky. Chennedy Carter is also on the Sky, and her hip check on Clark during a game two weeks ago became the largest piece of evidence for those trying to protect Clark.
Shocker. Angelo Reese and the Sky doing Angel Reese and Sky stuff. By the way Caitlin is cooking them. #caitlinclark pic.twitter.com/4qeWZLsiHZ
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 16, 2024
Leinart and Kuzma did receive a ton of push back for their posts, with Portnoy even getting a response from NBA veteran Kyle Kuzma who called him a "bozo" and pointed out that Reese made a "basketball play."
Bozo this is a basketball play.
— kuz (@kylekuzma) June 16, 2024
ESPN's "First Take" discussed the play on Monday, June 17, and both Stephen A. Smith and Andraya Carter agreed that it was a basketball play as well.
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Smith pointed out that the play happens a ton in the NBA, and that it would be called a flagrant one in the men's professional league.
To Smith's point, Russell Westbrook had a similar, perhaps harder and more deliberate hit over the head of Josh Green during the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs that also received a flagrant one.
Clark, the "victim" of the hit, said after the game that she knows Reese's hit was not malicious.
"It's just a part of basketball," Clark said. "It is what it is. [Reese's] trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. But yeah, it happens."
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