WNBA rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will collide once more on Sunday when the Indiana Fever host the Chicago Sky. Ahead of the game, which will see the two longtime rivals battle it out once more, Reese has shown off an all-new pair of Reebok Solutions customized for the Sky-Fever game.
The shoes, which were hand-painted by sneaker artist Marvin Baroota, feature a Joker theme from the DC Comics Batman series. Across the top of the toe box, the Joker's infamous smile can be seen on the right shoe, while the left shoe features the villain's evil laugh.
The shoes also notably feature a Joker-green Reebok logo on the side, further highlighting the overall theme of the shoes. The custom colorway isn't the first collaboration between Reebok and Baroota, with the artist also customizing Angel Reese's Barbie-inspired Reebok Solutions earlier in the season.
While the shoes are incredibly unique, and boast a truly one-of-one design, there's no coincidence that Reese is debuting the villain-themed sneakers for Sunday's game. Amid her ongoing competitive rivalry with Caitlin Clark, which stems back to the pair's NCAA days, Reese recently explained that she's fine playing the villain.
Ahead of the upcoming Sky-Fever game on Sunday, Angel Reese appears to be making it clear that she's fully leaning into the villain role on-court.
Looking back at Angel Reese's recent comments regarding being the villain in her rivalry with Caitlin Clark
Earlier this month, Angel Reese found herself in headlines after her teammate, Chennedy Carter, committed a hard foul on Caitlin Clark. Following a bit of trash talk from Clark on the opposite end of the floor, Carter scored a midrange jumper before then hip-checking Clark, sending her to the ground.
The play immediately sparked a negative reaction from fans in attendance, and online given that Carter wasn't making a play on the ball. On the sidelines, Angel Reese was seen clapping for her teammate, igniting criticism for how she handled the situation.
In the days following the game, the play received considerable criticism, with many taking aim at Carter for the foul, and Reese for the celebration. As she explained to media members, she has been dealing with criticism since she and Clark competed against one another in college.
As such, she's content with playing the villain role so long as women's basketball continues to grow and expand to a bigger audience.
"It all started from the national championship game," Reese said." I’ve been dealing with this for two years now. Understanding, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me, but honestly, I’ll take that because look where women’s basketball is." ...
"I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role. And I’ll continue to take that on and be that villain for my teammates."
In addition to their upcoming game on Sunday, the two teams will also face off on Jun. 23, and then again late in the season on Aug. 30 after the WNBA's Olympic break.