Angel Reese's taunting of Caitlin Clark at the end of LSU's national championship victory over Iowa has been the subject of much debate on social media since Sunday night. On Tuesday, Clark came to the defense of Reese.
With under a minute remaining in the game, Reese celebrated by turning to Clark and doing John Cena's "you can't see me" gesture before pointing at her ring finger. Clark herself broke out that same celebration against Louisville in the Elite Eight. However, Reese has received much more scrutiny for her actions.
Just days after the national title game, Clark joined ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and defended Reese. Clark said trash talk is just part of basketball when players step between the lines.
"I don't think Angel should be criticized at all," Clark said. "No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I'm just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talk. It's not just me and Angel. I don't think she should be criticized, like I said. LSU deserves it. They played so well. Like I said, I'm a big fan of hers."
Clark went on to say that trash talk is something that "draws" fans to sports. She said playing with emotion should always be encouraged because it adds to the entertainment value. Here more of her comments:
"I think men have always had trash talk. I think that's what it's always been. I think more and more people, as they turn on the game, are appreciating it for what it is. I'm just lucky enough that I get to play this game and have emotion and wear it on my sleeves. So does everybody else.
"That should never be torn down. That should never be criticized because I believe that's what makes this game so fun. That's what draws people to this game. That's what draws it to the pro level, to the college level, to the high school level."
With Clark and Reese both returning for the 2023-24 season, fans might be in for more battles and trash talk between the two stars.
