Caitlin Clark made it clear she had little interest in framing her relationship with Angel Reese as a newly formed friendship after the pair helped Team USA secure another FIBA Women’s World Cup title.
The Indiana Fever star was speaking after the United States defeated France 97-79 in Berlin on Sunday to claim a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal.
Clark and Reese, who have been prominent rivals in the WNBA, both contributed to the Americans’ successful campaign.
When a reporter asked whether she and Reese were “friends now” following their effective partnership on the court, Clark immediately pushed back.
“We’ve always been friends,” she replied.
Clark then wagged her finger at the reporter and added: “Don’t try to do that. Don’t try to do that.”
The exchange did not end there.
After finishing her interview, Clark reportedly walked back toward the reporter, shaking her head and chiding them over the question.
Rivalry Has Defined Their Basketball Careers
The question reflected the intense rivalry that has surrounded Clark and Reese since their college days.
Clark represented Iowa while Reese starred for LSU, with Reese’s team defeating Iowa in the 2023 national championship game.
Their rivalry subsequently followed them into the WNBA, where they became two of the league‘s most recognizable young stars.
Despite their competitive history, the two have shown that their familiarity with one another can become an advantage when playing on the same team.
That was evident throughout the World Cup as Clark and Reese repeatedly found each other with passes and developed an increasingly effective partnership.
Reese Also Pointed to Their Familiarity
Reese had already addressed their chemistry earlier in the tournament after the United States demolished Hungary 108-56.
Rather than portraying their relationship as something newly developed, the Atlanta Dream forward explained that years of competing against Clark had given both players an understanding of each other’s tendencies.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve played against each other so many times, so I’m sure we know each other’s game like the back of each other’s hand,” Reese said.
She explained that their familiarity made it easier to find one another on the court and anticipate where the other player would be.
“So just easily dishing it off to her, she dishes it off to me,” Reese added.
“She knows my slides, so I kind of got one to her today, or maybe two. So it’s fun.”
Reese also emphasized that their time together with Team USA was helping them develop further chemistry.
“We just continue to build chemistry because we know we’re going to be USA teammates for a while,” she said.
Clark Plays Key Role in Comeback Win
The relationship between the two players was tested in a championship game that required the United States to recover from a difficult start.
France raced into a 14-point lead during the second quarter, putting the Americans under serious pressure.
Clark’s buzzer-beating three-pointer before halftime helped cut the deficit to two and gave Team USA momentum heading into the break.
The Americans then completely changed the game in the third quarter.
USA Turns the Game Around
Team USA opened the second half with an 11-2 run to move ahead 54-47, with Breanna Stewart scoring four points during the decisive burst.
France briefly reduced the deficit to 55-51, but the Americans responded with a 16-3 run.
The sequence also featured two unsportsmanlike fouls against France on the same play.
By the end of the third quarter, Team USA had established a commanding 73-57 advantage, leaving France with too much ground to recover in the final period.
The Americans ultimately prevailed 97-79, extending their World Cup winning streak to 36 games.
Clark Makes Her Contribution Off the Bench
Clark was used in a secondary role by coach Kara Lawson during the tournament and again came off the bench in the final.
The Fever superstar played 13 minutes and finished with 12 points, although she also committed four turnovers.
Her most important contribution came just before halftime, when her three-pointer at the buzzer helped prevent France from carrying a sizeable advantage into the break.
USA Maintains Remarkable World Cup Record
The victory extended an extraordinary run for the United States, who have not lost a Women’s World Cup game since their defeat by Russia in 2006.
The Americans are also now 9-0 in World Cup gold-medal games since finishing runners-up to the Soviet Union in 1983.
Sunday’s victory marked another chapter in their long-standing dominance, while also giving the United States a sixth consecutive win over France.
That run includes the dramatic 67-66 victory over France in the final of the Paris Olympics, another game in which the two basketball powers produced a closely fought contest before the Americans prevailed.
