TRENDING Williams, Bears hang on LeBron's biggest comeback Lendeborg shades Luka Canes' murky ACC future World Series preview Story by Story by Stephen A. Smith blames Caitlin Clark fans for sleeping on Angel Reese Photo by Christina Pahnke - sampics/Getty Images Luke Randall Fri, October 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stephen A. Smith isn't letting anyone forget that before Angel Reese is dominating in Atlanta.
Outside of A'ja Wilson, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are easily the two biggest names driving the WNBA today. They've brought unprecedented hype, huge ratings, and a level of mainstream attention the league has never seen before.
But that massive growth has come with a pretty toxic edge. Their fanbases clash over virtually everything, from basic box scores to off-court personality, sparking endless online arguments that have practically split the league's audience down the middle.
What started as a classic college rivalry has morphed into a full-blown divide, despite the two players only having good things to say about each other.
Stephen A. Smith isn't holding back on how people view the WNBA's rise. He gave Caitlin Clark her credit, but slammed fans for letting the hype blind them to what Angel Reese actually brings to the table, arguing everyone got so caught up in one player, they completely ignored another.
On ESPN , he said: "When I think about Angel Reese, I think about the player who won a national title at LSU and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. I'm thinking about someone who entered the WNBA as a proven winner. Sure, things got a bit derailed during her time in Chicago before she ultimately landed in Atlanta, but now here she is on center stage, right where she belongs.
"And remember—when Caitlin Clark was talking trash to her opponents back at Iowa, Angel Reese was the one who threw it right back in her face. That's really when Angel blew up on the national radar: LSU was winning, they beat Iowa, took home the national title, and she was the MVP of the whole tournament.
"When she came to the WNBA, her game looked completely different from Caitlin's. Everyone naturally wanted to focus on Caitlin Clark—who absolutely deserved her shine—but in the process, a lot of people overlooked everything Angel Reese brings to the table."
You can't deny what Caitlin Clark did for the WNBA. She kicked open doors, brought millions of eyes to the game, and shifted the whole ecosystem. But the league isn't a one-woman show.
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Source: Sports
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