There are growing fears that the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has spilled into the Team USA locker room after an awkward encounter between the pair.
Since Clark joined the WNBA in 2024, the Indiana Fever star and Chicago Sky’s Reese have been battling for the spotlight in the league.
Tensions reached boiling point in May 2025 when the duo were involved in a heated on-court clash, where Reese ended up on the ground after a shove from Clark.
Less than a year on from that clash, Clark and Reese are now sharing a locker room, with both of them featuring for Team USA in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.
While Team USA have enjoyed two wins out of their two games, fans have noticed a contentious moment between Clark and Reese last time out.
During Thursday’s game against Puerto Rico, Clark checked into the game and dapped up a couple of her teammates as she did so. Notably, she left Reese hanging.
Caitlin Clark appeared to snub Angel Reese when she checked in for Team USA on Thursday
Clark had just dapped up another Team USA teammate before turning her back on Reese
In footage that has since gone viral on X, the Chicago Sky star stood with her arm outstretched as she looked for the hand of Clark.
The Fever star, however, had already turned her back on Reese. It’s unclear as to whether she purposefully ignored the handshake or whether it was an accident.
Among those to weigh in on the moment was Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy, who took to X and said: ‘I don’t think Caitlin saw Angel but I really really hope she did.’
Since her arrival in the league, Portnoy has jumped to Clark’s defense on multiple occasions and has been dubbed as a ‘super-fan’ for his commitment to the star.
In May 2025, Portnoy took to X and slammed the WNBA’s supposed mistreatment of Clark, who he claims is the league’s biggest star.
‘You know what’s crazy,’ the 48-year-old Massachusetts native wrote on X. ‘If Caitlin Clark just woke up one morning and decided she was sick of the @WNBA s*** and decided to start her own league which wouldn’t be that difficult with her star power she’d put the WNBA out of business in 2 years.’
Clark and Reese were previously caught in a fiery moment during their WNBA season opener
Clark was inexplicably bodychecked to the ground by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter
Meanwhile, in relation to the incident on Thursday night, fans were left divided over Caitlin’s apparent snub of Reese – and whether she even intended to do it.
Taking to X, one fan wrote: ‘I’m not sure she saw her But I’d like to think she DID’.
‘You all obviously don’t know basketball etiquette. She’s giving props to the players that are checking out of the game,’ another said on X.
Neither Clark nor Reese have commented on the incident.
