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The 2025 WNBA season is barely underway, and we’re already back in the thick of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s narratives.
On Saturday, Clark’s Indiana Fever cruised to a 93-58 win over Reese’s Chicago Sky. However, all anyone will remember is when Clark was called for a flagrant foul on Reese, leading to some tense moments and corresponding technical fouls on Reese and Indiana’s Aliyah Boston afterward.
The takes and narratives were out in full force as soon as the dust settled, driven partly by the WNBA’s announcement that they’re looking into “hateful fan comments” directed at Reese during the game. The usual suspects came out of the woodwork to share their opinions on Clark, Reese, and the state of women’s basketball. Many expressed themselves through mock outrage or faux concern to progress whatever narrative got them the most clicks.
Plenty of people are tired of the narratives surrounding Clark, Reese, and the WNBA and are bummed to see them start up again so soon. You can put Bomani Jones on that list.
The Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry has Bomani questioning the WNBA discourse online:
“It’s hardly ever about basketball.” pic.twitter.com/nUUb993kby
— The Right Time with Bomani Jones (@righttimebomani) May 19, 2025
“Imagine, rather than Magic being on the Lakers and Bird being on the Celtics, what if Bird was on the Celtics and Magic was on the Sixers?” he asked on the latest episode of The Right Time with Bomani Jones. “We can’t even handle Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. This isn’t an era where we’re supposed to be better than we were back then.”
Jones says he would love to follow the league online like any other league, but the never-ending narratives surrounding it make it impossible to enjoy.
“How can I follow the WNBA without being online,” he said. “There’s got to be a way because being online for the WNBA, it makes me want to drown myself. I hate all of you. And the biggest reason I can’t stand online WNBA discourse; it’s hardly ever about basketball.”
ESPN’s Monica McNutt shared similar sentiments earlier in the day, saying that the discourse is so far off track that we’re seeing Clark and Reese as avatars, not people.
“I think folks that truly love the game of basketball need to be mindful,” McNutt said on Get Up. “You need to respect the humanity of these women, whether you’re Team Clark or Team Reese, although you can certainly be both. The aftermath, the fact that the WNBA has to put out a statement because of racist comments and unsafe conditions for Angel Reese, I just want people to be mindful that whether you like it or not, any time something happens with the two of them, one is automatically put as a victim, and one is automatically put as someone who needs to be saved.”
