"Some of them are racist" - Stephen A. Smith weighs in on Angel Reese's complaints about backlash from Caitlin Clark fans

Stephen A. Smith shared his thoughts on Angel Reese's comments about Caitlin Clark fans. The Chicago Sky rookie revealed that she has faced racism and received death threats and harassment from some fans ever since she joined the WNBA and started competing against Clark's fans at the highest level.

In a clip from the "Stephen A. Smith" show shared today, the veteran analyst said that Reese received 'egregious and disgusting' treatment from fans who enjoy attacking people online since they can hide their identity and not face consequences for their words and actions.

"If Angel Reese was older, I would've gotten on her about what she just said, 'cause I would have been like, 'How naive can you be?' But she is young. She's only 22," Smith said.

Moreover, he agreed that some Caitlin Clark fans are racist, explaining that they don't want a black girl like Reese to be the direct competition for the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.

"As for the Caitlin Clark fans she was alluding to, she ain't lying. It's not all, it's not most; a lot of them are fun-loving, a lot of them are great fans, a lot of them are great great people, but some of them are racist. Some of them don't want Angel Reese to be the one coming at her and they use ethnicity as the rationale behind it," Smith added. [4:02 mark]

"Again, many few, compared to the many who wouldn't do that, but it is that kind of hate. I've seen it for years, I saw it when Allen Iverson was playing and I was covering every day."

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Jason Whitlock said Angel Reese 'sexualized herself'

While Stephen A. Smith came after Angel Reese's detractors, Jason Whitlock put the blame on the Sky forward, claiming she was sexualizing herself, even with the type of outfit she wore for her brand-new podcast, "Unapologetically Angel."

"She has sexualized herself," Whitlock said. "And now, 'Oh, I'm shocked people have sexualized me,' and somehow she's connecting it to being a Caitlin Clark fan. I just don't see the connection."

Whitlock said that Reese tried to connect every bad thing that happened to her for being an opponent for Clark, calling it 'stupid' and 'dishonest. Reese had discussed how she was perceived during her college stint and now that she's in the WNBA, things appear to have gone worse.

Meanwhile, Angel Reese keeps playing at a high level, collecting double-doubles and becoming one of the best players in the WNBA.