Caitlin Clark has made her feelings clear on Angel Reese as she’s forced to miss game

The Indiana Fever will be without star player Caitlin Clark for Saturday’s trip to the Chicago Sky, who spoke about the benefits of her rivalry with Angel Reese

Caitlin Clark believes that rivalry is "good for sport" after referencing Angel Reese

On Saturday, the Chicago Sky will face the Indiana Fever for the second time this season after a bitter opening meeting, but Caitlin Clark won’t be there to take on Angel Reese.

The Sky and the Fever met during the WNBA season opener on May 17, as Clark recorded a triple-double during a landslide 93-58 victory. Clark and Reese also clashed during the third quarter, and needed to be separated by Indiana’s Aliyah Boston, as their collegiate rivalry was reignited once again.Clark and Reese have been linked ever since the 2023 national championship game, which saw LSU win a feisty encounter against Iowa and begin the rivalry narrative. Clark is currently nursing a quadriceps injury, meaning that she won’t be able to help the Fever when they face the Sky on Saturday, but she spoke about Reese prior to their last meeting.

The alleged beef between Clark and Reese has been ongoing for the past two seasons, but it’s helped raise both of their profiles. Even in the WNBA last season, Clark and Reese were the main candidates battling for Rookie of the Year.

Their implied hostility towards one another has been one of the main storylines in the WNBA, but both players have played down any hatred. In fact, Clark believes that their rivalry is great for the sport, despite claiming she has no negative feelings towards the Sky forward.

When asked about her feelings towards Reese before the season opener on May 17, Clark hit back at the reporters in the room. “I mean, you guys love it, that’s for sure…,” Clark responded. “Rivalry is great for sport. Like, I understand thatReese and Clark clashed on May 17 but both played it down after the game

“I grew up loving rivalries. I grew up in Iowa. Iowa-Iowa State. That’s like a pro matchup in the state of Iowa. Like, I understand that… Rivalry is always a big thing, so I think it’s more than anything.”

Clark also understands that the rivalry isn’t just about Reese, but the locations of both Indiana and Chicago. “I think for the fans, it’s great,” Clark added. “They love it. I mean, Chicago is the closest team to us.

We bus there usually, so I get it geographically. But I think for our team and our group, we prepare the same way every single game.”

Unfortunately for Clark and the Fever, she won’t be playing on Saturday as Indiana has suffered several injury problems to start the season. On May 26, the Fever confirmed in a statement that Clark would miss at least two weeks with a left quadriceps strain, and two more players went down on May 30 in a loss to the Connecticut Sun.

Clark has been out injured for the past two games
Clark has been out injured for the past two games

Sydney Colson went down with a leg injury, and Sophie Cunningham aggravated an ankle issue which has been troubling her since preseason. Fever head coach Stephanie White has since offered positive updates on both players, and it’s expected that Clark will return at some point this month.

“We got good news from both of their MRIs, as good of news as you can get,” White said. “So right now, it’s a day-to-day thing. We’re looking forward to, hopefully, them returning at some point sooner rather than later. But at the same time, it’s how each of them progresses in their rehab and in their return to the court action.”

Colson is expected back before Cunningham, as White added: “Syd’s been progressing really quickly. She’s going to get out there and get some shots up too, so we’ll see where she sits when she comes back after her recovery from today, make sure we don’t have any setbacks, and then we’ll see where she is tomorrow.”