"Weird and ugly rivalry" - WNBA fans react to graphics revealing Caitlin Clark’s popularity eclipsed Angel Reese’s pre-hand gesture moment

There has always been a rivalry between WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. This started during their time in college during the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Clark represented the Iowa Hawkeyes and went against Reese and the LSU Tigers.

The short ending to that game was that Reese led her university to a championship win. However, there was more to what happened in the game. Leading up to the main event of the tournament, Clark had already garnered much attention and was the talk of the town.

Other fans, though, argue that Reese had already gone viral before their meeting on the big stage. Fans of the Indiana Fever star presented a comparison of a quick Google trends search between the two basketball stars during that period.

The search results were from before Reese's viral moment when she mimicked WWE star John Cena's famed "You Can't See Me" taunt. During their faceoff, the Maryland native also taunted Clark when she pointed at her ring finger, referring to LSU's eventual win. Watch the moment between the two college stars.

The graphic they posted on X (formerly Twitter) showed that Clark had already eclipsed the Chicago Sky star in popularity.

Fans went to the replies and talked about the graphic presented to them, proving Clark's popularity was superior.

"It should never have been made into weird and ugly rivalry," a fan said Reese had her moment but it didn't reach the level that Clark had.

"Trolls like that just want attention," another fan said.

"All this shows is that both players got popular during the 2023 finals," one fan commented.

Other fans defended Clark.

"They just want to divide people instead of being happy for what she brought and will bring to the WNBA," one fan said.

"The CC phenomenon was already happening before the 2023 championship," another fan brought up.

"Hatelins with the same old lies that make them feel all safe and cozy," one fan said.

Caitlin Clark was the most popular player in college basketball in her final year

Caitlin Clark continued to make waves in the basketball scene following her bout against Reese in the 2023 championship. In her final year, Clark led Iowa to another appearance in the NCAA Championship game but came up short against South Carolina in 2024.

Even with the loss, however, Clark finished her season strong as she was the most popular college basketball athlete. According to Seton Hall Sports Poll, the star player was recognized by 44% of the general population. Reese, on the other hand, came in second, at 18%.

Clark was recognized by 58% of sports fans and 65% of NCAA fans as well.