Having been left off the national team roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, rising WNBA star **Caitlin Clark** has finally broken her silence. And she’s not just taking aim at the Team USA coaching staff’s decision, but also seemingly sending an unkind “message” to **Angel Reese** – her longtime rival from the NCAA to the WNBA.

In a recent post-match interview with Indiana Fever, Clark surprisingly shared:
> “I know exactly why I wasn’t selected. But I didn’t come here to please anyone. I came here to play and to win.”

A seemingly innocuous statement, but the online community quickly pieced together the details. Angel Reese wasn’t on Team USA’s roster, but Clark was left out while her form was on the rise – leading many to believe that the “strong personality” or “controversial” factor influenced the coaching staff’s decision.

From the fiery confrontation between LSU and Iowa in the 2023 NCAA tournament to the tense clashes in the 2024 WNBA season, the relationship between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has always been the focus of the media. For Clark, every game is a declaration of fierceness and uncompromising. For Reese, she confidently asserts that she deserves to be part of a new generation of brave WNBA players.

Clark’s exclusion from Team USA only escalates this confrontation to a new level. And although Reese was not selected, many believe that Clark is implicitly targeting the bias in the system – something she has refused to comment on directly but “sent” through her recent brilliant performance on the court.

After not being selected, Caitlin Clark immediately had an impressive streak with the Indiana Fever, averaging more than 20 points per game, leading the team to move up the rankings. It seems like being cut from Team USA has only made her more dangerous.

“If they think that’s going to discourage me—they’re wrong,” Clark said after a recent win.

Soon after Clark’s comments, social media went into overdrive. The hashtags **#TeamClark**, **#LetHerPlay**, and **#WNBAReckoning** went viral. Many believed that this was Clark’s “manifesto” to the entire recruiting system—and to fellow stars like Reese.

**Being cut from Team USA hasn’t slowed Caitlin Clark down—in fact, it’s made her more dangerous than ever. And if the WNBA isn’t ready for this new wave, they’re going to have to deal with a seismic shift coming from Clark himself.**

Angel Reese on ‘Frustrating’ Caitlin Clark Drama: ‘It’s Bigger Than Me’

The LSU star and her teammates reflected on their NCAA title on a new episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show

Lance King/Getty Images;C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos

Growing the audience for women’s basketball is the goal for Angel Reese and her LSU teammates.

Reese, 20, and her champion teammates Alexis Morris and Flau’jae Johnson appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show Wednesday and discussed the media attention around their NCAA championship.

Hudson, 41, said “everyone” has seen the clip of Reese and Iowa star Caitlin Clark’s infamous trash talk moment during the tournament, but asked Reese what it was like having their championship be “overshadowed” by the drama around her and Clark

Reese said it was “frustrating” to have her team’s hard work overlooked, but that ultimately she’s proud of the exposure the moment brought to women’s basketball.

“I mean, 9.9 million people watched the game. That’s more than the men,” she said. “I know one day we’re going down in the history books, so it’s bigger than me,” Reese added.

The self-proclaimed “Bayou Barbie” told Hudson that she and her teammates “put a lot of sweat and tears into that championship” and she’s not sure viewers fully understood that. “People don’t realize that, it’s not easy to win a championship.

Reese explained that she and Clark “are cool” and there was never any “beef” between them. She noted that both her and the Iowa star are ultra-competitive on the court, so the trash talk shouldn’t be a surprise.

“We’re the top of our class and to see how much we’ve grown women’s basketball in a year, that’s what it was for both of us,” Reese said.

Johnson, 19, told Hudson that Angel’s trash talk shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. “First of all, Angel is going to be her regardless and we support that,” she said.

Jennifer Hudson

The situation ultimately became “something bigger than” people realize, Johnson added. “Now you’ve got people that would never think about watching women’s basketball — they’re tuned in.Johnson said she “was happy to be a part of that” on top of becoming a national champion this year.

After the LSU Tigers won the NCAA title, several examples of clear discrepancies in reactions to Reese and Clark’s taunts transpired online. The social media reaction to both athletes exposed the racist double standards that the sport continues to be plagued by, particularly when online critics get involved.

On several occasions during the tournament, Clark was praised for appearing to taunt her opponents on the court.

Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty

But while Clark’s taunts were met with praise from the media and users on Twitter, Reese was harshly criticized for the same behavior towards Clark in the game

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said, “Let’s call it what it is. [Clark] did the waving, she did the Cena,” referring to the “you can’t see me” hand gesture made popular by wrestler John Cena.

C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Angel Reese

Smith, 55, pointed out that during Iowa’s semi-final match up againt South Carolina, Clark “waved off” one of the team’s shooters. “She didn’t mind being disrespectful, so why is it that we’re hesitant to bring that up?”

During her postgame interview, Reese said, “All year I was critiqued about who I was. I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit in the box that you all want me to be in. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. You told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing.”

Reese continued, “So this is for the girls that look like me, that want to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. It was bigger than me tonight. I’m happy. I felt I helped grow women’s basketball