Angel Reese Comfortable in 'Bad Guy Role' as WNBA Popularity Grows

Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese says she has no problem being the villain, especially if it helps the growth of the WNBA. But she wants everyone to know one thing: The league's popularity goes beyond just Caitlin Clark's arrival.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese at Barclays Center / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Angel Reese is pushing back on the narrative that the WNBA is only growing because of Caitlin Clark. The Chicago Sky rookie says the success of the league expands further than just a single player.

Reese and the Sky made a trip to Indianapolis over the weekend for a showdown with the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The matchup between Reese and Clark drew plenty of attention on Saturday and resulted in plenty of fireworks.

Indiana defeated Chicago 71-70, but that wasn't the major talking point. Instead, it was a flagrant foul committed by Sky's Chennedy Carter on Clark late in the third quarter. Many labeled Carter's foul as a "cheap shot," resulting in a storm of criticism on social media.

Chennedy Carter drills a jumper then lays a body check on Caitlin Clark that should get her a look from the Blackhawks!

pic.twitter.com/UlX2l6ZZDd

— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) June 1, 2024

Monday, Reese reflected on Saturday's game and the matchup with Clark. She talked about how the popularity of the WNBA has grown because of the 2023 National Championship Game between LSU and Iowa — the matchup that sparked the rivalry between Reese and Clark.

"It all started from the National Championship Game and I've been dealing with this for two years now," Reese said. "Understanding that, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me. But, honestly, I'll take that because look where women's basketball is. People are talking about women's basketball that you never would think would be talking about women's basketball. People are pulling up to games, we got celebrities coming to games, sold out arenas. Just because of one single game."

Ever since that game, the media has created a rivalry between Reese and Clark. It's transitioned to the WNBA, which has generated a lot of interest.

Reese says she's more than happy to play the villain. But if she's taking on that role, she wants everyone to know that there's more to the league's growth than Clark's arrival.

"Just looking at that, I'll take that role. I'll take the bad guy role and I'll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates. I know I'll go down in history, I'll look back in 20 years and be like the reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of one person, it's because of me too, and I want y'all to realize that," she said.

"Like, it's not just because of one person, a lot of us have done so much for this game ... there are so many great players in this league that have deserved this for a really, really long time. Luckily, it's coming now."