“We’re not friends, we’re not buddies” - $1.8M NIL-valued Angel Reese drops bold statement against Caitlin Clark ahead of LSU vs. Iowa matchup
Angel Reese, who has a NIL value of $1.8 million according to On3.com, is one of the many stars that women's college basketball has given us this year. She helped the LSU Tigers beat the UCLA Bruins 78-69 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The victory set up an Elite Eight meeting with the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have Caitlin Clark, the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, on Monday.
In the buildup for the clash between the two stars, Angel Reese, who has an NIL valuation of $1.8 million, according to On3, talked about her relationship with Clark:
"Me and Caitlin Clark do not hate each other. ... I wish people would realize that it's a super-competitive game. ... Once I get in between those lines, we're not friends, we're not buddies," Reese said.
The pair have a history of trash-talking, both to their opponents and to each other. This was seen during the last time they met in last year's national championship game. Near the end of LSU's 102-85 win, Reese pointed to Clark and made the "You can't see me" gesture, which was popularized by wrestler John Cena and also used by Clark to another opponent earlier in the tournament, at her.
Many people have believed that the pair had a poor relationship since that moment. But when she was asked on Saturday about her use of trash talk and if it affects her relationship with other players, Reese said:
"I don't think people realize it's not personal. ...Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it's like, 'Hey, girl, what's up? Let's hang out.'"
Read more: $1.8 million NIL-valued Angel Reese drops a bold take following Sweet 16 win over UCLA: "We're the good villains"
What has Caitlin Clark said about Angel Reese?
On the other side, Caitlin Clark also talked about her relationship with Angel Reese:
"There's definitely that competitive fire. Both of us want to win more than anything, and that's how it should be when you're a competitor and you get into a situation like this, whether it was the national championship, whether it's the Elite Eight. ... I think that's the main similarity is how competitive we are. We both grew up loving this game, and we're going to do anything we can to help our teams win."
Their use of trash talk and mind games may not be liked by everyone, and some may say that their use of this makes them unlikeable. But for them, that's a small price to pay if it helps them win and advance one step closer to a national championship.
Read more: 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels hypes up Angel Reese and co ahead of Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA: "LSU vs everybody"