Former First Lady Michelle Obama is weighing in on the WNBA’s most talked-about rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Obama, speaking candidly on the All The Smoke podcast, criticised the “horrible opinions” swirling around the two young stars and pointed to how social media fuels so negativity.
The Clark–Reese rivalry has roots in college basketball, where the two faced off in the 2023 NCAA women’s championship. Reese, then with LSU, delivered her now-famous ring-finger gesture toward Clark after sealing the Tigers’ title over Iowa.
Fast forward to 2024, both athletes entered the WNBA, and the intensity hit another level this season when Clark was assessed a flagrant one foul after making contact with Reese during a rebound attempt. Reese quickly stood up to confront her opponent before teammates and coaches stepped in to separate them. The clip exploded online, becoming one of the defining viral moments of the 2025 WNBA season.
Obama condemns the ‘horrible opinions’ that have been shared on Clark-Reese drama
“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it, but that’s true across the board,” Obama said.
“I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show. It just, you know, it just takes a normal occurrence. You know these young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand because social media is such a huge part of their world.”
“I mean, you know, there’s the hate, but now the hate is in your room on your phone with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off because they’re making their living that way. I mean, that they now are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder now to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”
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Interestingly, Reese dismissed Clark’s foul as nothing more than basketball, calling it a “basketball play.” Clark echoed that sentiment, saying, “Let’s not make it something that it’s not. It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. It’s a take foul to put them at the free throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”
