Analyst calls out co-host for comparing Angel Reese's influence on viewership to Caitlin Clark: "Such b***"

Sports analyst Jimmy Traina had some strong words about the comparisons between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark and the impact that some people say the former LSU star has had on women's basketball. In Thursday's episode of the "SI Media" show, the veteran sat with Andrew Perloff and Peter Schrager to discuss the most important events in the world of sports in 2024.

One of the topics included Clark's impact on the game, with Schrager first questioning his peers whether they watched JuJu Watkins' USC going against Paige Bueckers' UConn Huskies. Perloff said that Clark competed against other players who elevated the game, specifically mentioning Angel Reese.

"No, but that's ok. It's like Jordan in the '90s. Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing, it raised all boats in the '90s for the NBA. She's like Michael Jordan, I totally agree with Peter. I watched so much more [women's basketball]--I personally like the college game a little more than the pro right now.

"The pro is a little 1-on-1 right now, but it'll catch up, and Angel Reese's a big part of it," Perloff said before Traina interrupted him to shoot down that comparison. [19:10 mark]

Traina responded with an NSFW message criticizing that narrative.

"That's such bulls**t, it's just bulls**t," Traina said. "She's responsible for a number that no one else is getting."

Before that, Schrager noted that the hype around the USC-UConn game wouldn't have been the same without Caitlin Clark.

"What I would like to know is how many people watched that game you're telling me about. Not as well as Caitlin Clark," Traina responded.

Angel Reese claimed she was also responsible for the WNBA success in 2024

Like Andre Perloff, Angel Reese said that she impacted women's basketball during her time at LSU and would do the same in the W a couple of weeks into her rookie season.

"People are pulling up to games. We've got celebrities coming to games, sold-out arenas. Just because of one single game. And 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, 'Yeah, the reason why we 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."