Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark became racial symbols, but their responses tell different stories
In the closing moments of LSU’s 2023 national championship victory over Iowa, Angel Reese followed Caitlin Clark around the court, repeatedly taunting Iowa's star player.
Key points
- As Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream faced Golden State in the WNBA Finals, some of the coverage made it sound as if they were representing Black America.
- In an August 2025 Forbes interview about her signature shoe, Reese described being "a visual and a voice for young Black women." Discussing people who shared her experiences, she added, "I’m speaking for those people, young girls, young boys." Reese has also made it clear that she wants to be known for more than basketball.
- But Clark and Reese have responded very differently to those roles.
When pressed, Clark has pushed back against people using her name to promote racial agendas but has repeatedly emphasized that basketball is her job.
But this fits a much larger pattern involving Reese and Caitlin Clark.
Additional details
- Smith, framed the backlash as a racial double standard, pointing to Clark’s use of the same gesture earlier in the tournament.
- Of course, there's a clear difference between doing a gesture toward your own bench and following an opponent around the court and doing it in her face, but the nuance was lost on many.
- Even one of the Louisville players, Hailey Van Lith, later explained that Clark’s gesture was directed at Iowa’s strength coach, not anyone on the Cardinals team.
- But Reese has spent years talking about race and positioning herself as a voice for Black women.
- The problem arises when supporting a player becomes a test of racial loyalty, or criticizing her becomes an attack on the people she supposedly represents.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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