Iowa's Caitlin Clark speaks on LSU's Angel Reese's controversial celebration
Iowa women's basketball sensation Caitlin Clark said Tuesday that LSU star Angel Reese doesn't deserve to be criticized for her controversial NCAA championship game celebration.
Clark appeared on SportsCenter's "Outside the Lines" on Tuesday to discuss the Hawkeyes season, the title game loss to the Tigers and more. Clark was just announced as the 2023 women's Wooden Award winner as the national player of the year.
In the waning moments of LSU's championship win on Sunday, Reese appeared to follow Iowa's sharpshooter on the court while doing John Cena's “you can’t see me" celebration and gesturing to her ring finger alluding to a championship ring. Clark used the same celebration during the Hawkeyes Elite 8 win over Louisville.
In the two days since the championship, the viral moment has sparked huge debate across the sports world and beyond. Some have criticized Reese for perceived taunting, while others have pointed out an alleged double-standard and said that Clark wouldn't be getting the heat if she had pulled the stunt on her counterpart in an Iowa victory over LSU.
Regardless of whether fans feel that Reese's celebration went too far on Sunday, it's obvious that both she and Clark (as well as a host of other stars) brought some extra attention to women's college basketball over the last month with a historic tournament. Hopefully the record-breaking numbers from Sunday will continue into the 2023-24 season, as both Clark and Reese will be back for more with the Hawkeyes and Tigers.
More must-reads: