Angel Reese recently acquired a flagrant foul for striking Caitlin Clark in the head.
Yahoo Sports reports that during the game played on Sunday, June 16, the forward attempted to block Clark’s shot when she hit her in the dome.
As the third quarter progressed, Clark drove to the basket, and Reese swung her arm to prevent the goal. As a result, Clark was hit and fell hard to the floor. Angel was subsequently given a flagrant foul one after the play was reviewed. The WNBA’s rule book states an “unnecessary” move is deemed a flagrant foul one. A flagrant foul two is considered “unnecessary and excessive.”
Social Media Reacts To The Flagrant Foul
Commenters under The Shade Room’s report shared their thoughts on the ref’s call.
@bmore3car3ful said, “They gotta stop the bull. she literally swiped for the ball.”
“This the most drama the WNBA has ever been. always somthing now,” @theesubishow stated.
@pushfollow wrote, “There was no intent in that play. Lol. They really dragging this narrative now. They lady was staring at the ball.”
@_kayyart stated, “She’s clearly going after the ball…this happens all the time in the NBA, why is this news.”
According to
Yahoo Sports, Reese also reacted to the ref’s call during a postgame conference on Sunday. Reese called the move a “basketball play.”
Additionally, she explained that she “can’t control the refs.”
“They affected the game, obviously, a lot tonight,” she said. “…I think we went up strong a lot of times, and we didn’t get a lot of calls. Going back and looking at the film, I saw a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle.”
Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark also reacted to Reese’s flagrant foul, per Yahoo Sports.
“It’s just a part of basketball,” Clark explained. “It is what it is. Just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens.”
Caitlin & Angel Reese Take Hard Fouls
The Shade Room previously reported that Caitlin complained that her rookie season was starting off rough. The 22-year-old said she felt like “everyone is physical” with her. Furthermore, the WNBA player alleged refs allowed her opponents to “[get] away with things” on the court. As previously reported by The Shade Room, Indiana Fever’s general manager, Lin Dunn, shared her anger for Caitlin’s on-court treatment after an incident with Chennedy Carter. During a June 1 game, The Chicago Sky player shoulder-checked Caitlin, sending her to the ground. Dunn took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express her anger. She wrote, “There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary —targeting actions.”
Angel Reese has experienced hard fouls of her own. She recently reacted to Alyssa Thomas’ flagrant foul as she attempted to rebound a ball during a May 25 match-up. She hit Reese in the neck, sending her to the ground. The forward lay on the hardwood as she clutched her head for a while. Thomas was subsequently ejected from the game.
During a post-game interview, she told reporters, “…it was a tough game,” but “that’s what I’m built for.” The LSU grad continued, “I want them to come at me every day.” She continued, “They’re not supposed to be nice to me.”
One thing’s for sure: the girls are playing hard for their respective WNBA teams.
Check out a video of the incident below:
