Rivals Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark having 'fun' playing together for US and not against each other

BERLIN (AP) — Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’ s interactions are a subplot of the women’s FIBA World Cup, the WNBA season and if you spend enough time on social media, a divided country. Clark and Reese continue to insist their relationship on the court is fine.

Both players are intense and animated competitors, and their fan bases' are fiercely loyal. On much of social media you're either for Reese or for Clark. It has that feel of rooting for Duke or Carolina; Yankees or Red Sox or Bird or Magic.

The pair have definitely bonded so far in the World Cup in their national team debuts. Clark said many of the stories about their relationship are “false takes,” saying she loves the fiery competitiveness that she and Reese share.

“No matter what, there’s always going to be people that create those narratives and say whatever they want to say,” Clark said. “There’s definitely no stopping that and they’re always going to be there. I think for ourselves, like I said, it’s easy for us to just come in here and compete.”

Reese has enjoyed playing with Clark and the other young members of the roster, including Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston.

“We can kind of rely on each other, lean on each other,” Reese said. “This is our first big national event, so being able to play with each other, learn each other and go through these learning process together, it’s fun.”

Clark and Reese have played together on the 2024 WNBA All-Star team that beat the U.S. Olympic team, but they will forever be joined at hips after their clash in the 2023 NCAA title game catapulted them into the center of debates.

Reese’s LSU squad topped Clark’s Iowa team in the matchup, but the players actions and interactions (who can forget Reese pointing to her ring finger in the closing seconds), drew attention to them.

Clark said she appreciates Reese’s desire to win and her relentlessness on the court, saying “it’s been fun to to be able to play with her.”

Clark laughed recalling one incident in the tournament between she and Reese that has gotten some attention. When Clark was subbing in during the opener against China and started to step on the court before being officially told to, Reese, who was entering the game at the same time, pulled her back off the court.

“Well, the ref had gotten mad at me a couple of times prior, so she was saving me from the ref getting mad at me again,” Clark said laughing.

In another fun moment, Reese was talking to the media after the tight win over Italy and Clark ducked past her, apologizing for interrupting her interviews. Reese smiled and gave Clark a high-five as she went by.

They'll be back on opposite sides soon enough — Reese's Atlanta Dream and Clark's Indiana Fever are both headed for the WNBA playoffs and both have 26-14 records. They could meet in the first round if the current seeds hold.

But for now, they share a common goal and the fact that Reese and Clark say they are having fun on the court together is good news for U.S. women's basketball fans. The duo could be part of a core group of players expected to be teammates in the next several Olympics.

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here