Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has defended her LSU rival Angel Reese for a gesture she made during the NCAA women’s basketball championship game on Sunday.
Reese made the “You can’t see me” gesture – made famous by wrestler John Cena – towards her opponent as the Tigers closed out their 102-85 victory, which secured their first NCAA women’s basketball title. She also pointed to her finger, referencing the championship ring she would soon receive.
Reese, who is Black, received abuse for the gesture on social media. Others pointed out that Clark, who is white, had made the same gesture earlier in the tournament but had been praised for her fighting spirit.
Reese referenced the double standard when speaking to reporters after Sunday’s game. “All year I was critiqued about who I was. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto, y’all told me that all year,” she said. “When other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing … So this is for the girls that look like me. For those that want to speak up for what they believe in ... It was bigger than me tonight. And Twitter is going to go into a rage every time.”
"I don't think Angel should be criticized at all."
— ESPN (@espn) April 4, 2023
Caitlin Clark said she thought Angel Reese received too much backlash for her celebrations during the championship game. (via @OTLonESPN) pic.twitter.com/i8tZyO8bai
In an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, Clark said criticism of Reese was unfair.
“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all,” said Clark. “I’m just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was gonna be a little trash talk in the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel.
“We’re all competitive. We all show our emotions in a different way. You know, Angel is a tremendous, tremendous player. I have nothing but respect for her. I love her game – the way she rebounds the ball, scores the ball is absolutely incredible. I’m a big fan of her and even the entire LSU team. They played an amazing game.”
Clark said that women, like men, should be able to trash talk opponents.
“Men have always had trash talk ... You should be able to play with that emotion ... That’s how every girl should continue to play,” she added.
On Monday, first lady Jill Biden suggested Iowa should join LSU for a White House visit, an honor usually reserved only for national champions. Reese called Biden’s comments a “joke” and the first lady’s spokesperson appeared to walk back the comments on Tuesday.
Clark again agreed with Reese. “That’s for LSU,” Clark told ESPN. “They should enjoy every single second of being the champion. I think that’s theirs to do.
“I don’t think runner-ups usually go to the White House. LSU should enjoy that moment for them. And congratulations, obviously, they deserve to go there. Maybe I could go to the White House [in the future] on different terms.”
Reese and Clark enjoyed excellent tournaments. Reese notched a double-double in the final and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the women’s Final Four, while Clark was the game’s top-scorer with 30 points. She had two 40-point triple-doubles in other games during the tournament.
Clark and Reese also helped bring women’s basketball into the spotlight. The Iowa-LSU match-up was the most watched women’s college basketball game of all time in the US. It averaged 9.9 million viewers, up 103% from last year’s final.
“I just want to inspire young boys and young girls to be able to dream and do the same things that I have done. I was just that young girl,” said Clark. “I looked up to WNBA players, NBA players, college athletes, even other pro sport athletes. All you have to do is dream, work really hard and be surrounded by really, really good people that believe in you, too.”
