"The jealousy is oozing out, it’s bad": Fans slam Angel Reese for cheekily taking credit for WNBA's surging popularity

The Chicago Sky visited the Indiana Fever to start the month of June and it featured two popular rookies, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, and these women quite had a rivalry that stems back in their college days. There were heated moments during the game and even the post-game interviews caught some fire.

With all the physicality that the Sky brought to Clark, it has been a debate if WNBA players are jealous of the popularity that she brings and they are taking it to her on the basketball court.

Speaking up was Angel Reese who defended how her team treated Caitlin Clark inside the basketball court. She stresses that their competitive spirit was present on the court and Clark is not the only attraction for women's basketball.

"I know I'll go down in history," Angel Reese said. "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."

These comments by Reese sparked some interesting points of view from the fans with a few saying that the jealousy of Clark is evident.

"The jealousy is oozing out, it’s bad. I like Angel so much, but this not a good look at all….. the “look at me” approach won’t go over to well. Just keep playing yo game, we see you. But to say “it’s not cuz of one person, it’s cuz of me (too)” is wild," said @MrBadog.

A few fans are also saying that they are watching women's basketball due to Caitlin Clark and the name Angel Reese just came out after watching the Indiana Fever guard.

"I would have no idea who Angel Reese was if it weren’t for Caitlin Clark," said @KaRipDough.

"NO ONE is watching for Angel Reese," Scarboil reacts.

"First off, I’m not watching. Second, if I do see a highlight, it’s normally Caitlin," @Stephen_witha posts.

Of course, some basketball aficionados also agree with what Reese said in the interview.

"She’s right. Imo the entire freshman class has uplifted the wnba. She’s right," comments @ItsLinwoodfr.

"She’s right," said dontguess.

Another fan had an interesting take on Reese's comments.

"Women are unique. Instead of appreciating the newfound attention and going along with it, they’d rather claim it as their own, driven by ego. Remember fans will get tired of it after a while and move on," posts LaJoie de Vivre.

Angel Reese stresses that her rivalry with Caitlin Clark two years ago

Women's basketball took the spotlight in the past years, especially in the college ranks. Angel Reese's LSU Tigers and Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes served fans with one of the most intense rivalries in recent years.

As both players got drafted in the same class this season, the battle between Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever sparked the rivalry in the professional ranks.

For Angel Reese, this is nothing new and she has been playing the villain role against Caitlin Clark since their championship game in 2022.

"It all started from the national championship game. And I've been dealing with this for two years now. And understanding, like, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me, but honestly, I'll take that because look where women's basketball is. People are talking about women's basketball that you never would think would be talking about women's basketball," said Reese.

The Chicago Sky lost to the Indiana Fever by just one point and both teams are set to meet again at the Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 16.