CAITLIN Clark wasn’t afraid to speak about the rivalry she has with fellow college basketball icon Angel Reese.

The Iowa Hawkeyes legend Clark opened up about her stellar 2023-24 NCAA tournament run ahead of herself and Reese’s WNBA debut.

Caitlin Clark (pictured right) spoke about the “frustrating” part of the basketball rivalry she has with Angel ReeseCredit: Getty

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Reese waved her hand in front of Clark’s face when her LSU Tigers were on the way of beating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 title gameCredit: Getty
Last season, Reese and the LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Hawkeyes in the 2023 title game.

Both teams rematched in the Elite Eight of the 2024 March Madness Tournament as Iowa claimed the victory before losing to South Carolina in the championship game.

But Clark believes that fans focused more on herself and Reese’s on-court rivalry than Iowa’s path.

“That’s the only thing people wanted to talk about when we just went on this magical run and united so many people, and that, like, was frustrating to me,” Clark said during the ESPN+ four-part series Full Court Press.

Clark was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft, while Reese was selected with the No. 7 pick by the Chicago Sky.

The two were part of a viral moment when Reese waved her hand in front of Clark’s face when LSU beat Iowa in the 2023 title game.

The sequence also saw Reese point her ring finger while looking at Clark, which foreshadowed the LSU women’s basketball team winning its first championship ring in program history.

After the game, Clark defended the taunt and added she “was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position.”

Reese, meanwhile, received criticism for the gesture.

This past season, the 6-foot-3 Reese showed her support to Clark when she broke the NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball scoring record.

Both have maintained that their relationship is strictly a competitive one.

“I don’t think people realize it’s not personal,” Reese said in March.

“Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it’s like, ‘Hey, girl, what’s up? Let’s hang out.’

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Clark went on to beat Reese’s Tigers in the Elite Eight of the 2023-24 March Madness tournamentCredit: Getty

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Clark and Reese have impressed in the WNBA preseason and will get ready to debut in the league this weekCredit: Getty
“I think people just take it like we hate each other.

“Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other.

“It’s just a super-competitive game.”

Clark and Reese became faces of the NIL and both contributed to the most-viewed NCAA tournament this season.

Both will prepare for the WNBA season to begin as Clark’s Fever debut will be against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday and Reese’s Sky will play the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.