Weeks after the Caitlin Clark incident, Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese could fall out of favor with Jewell Loyd and Nneka Ogwumike’s followers

The Chicago Sky’s style of play is relentless. However, the WNBA world has seen their passions get the better of them more than once. This is especially true for the team’s Barbie-Chen duo: Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter. Previously, we saw the two take on Caitlin Clark in their first two meetings with the Indiana Fever, which they won. Now, veteran Seattle Storm stars Jewell Loyd and Nneka Ogwumike experienced this aggressiveness firsthand as they attempted to defend their home court.

Interestingly, both incidents occurred in the second half of the game. The visiting Sky were trailing the hosts at the time. In the third quarter, with 3:43 left on the clock, Angel Reese tried to force her way to the basket. But Ezi Magbegor kept fending her off, eventually sending the ball into the hands of Nneka Ogwumike. The rookie then accidentally (?) brought down the Australian center, but the game was not over.

Then nine-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike passed the ball to Jewell Loyd, who went past Chennedy Carter and attempted what appeared to be an open layup. But before the two-time Olympian could make the layup, Carter hit Loyd on the head without getting the ball. The referees that night upgraded the foul to an intentional foul with a 1 immediately after the final whistle. But that wasn’t it for the night.

Angel Reese also slapped Nneka Ogwumike in the following quarter as she tried to steal the ball. With 8:24 left in the game, the Chi-Town Barbie fought the 2016 WNBA MVP in the penalty box. As Ogwumike was making a layup, the Baltimore native slapped her in the face but again got away without a whistle. The ongoing physical fight surely reminded everyone of how the team went about things against Caitlin Clark.

Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark: Origin of the WNBA rivalry

The two most popular rookies have battled each other from high school all the way to the professional leagues. But if there’s one place they’ve stood together, it’s the pedestal of their impact on basketball. Still, their on-court rivalry, which really came into the spotlight in the 2023 NCAA Championship Game, has spilled over into the WNBA. In fact, it’s only gotten stronger, so much so that basketball fans now talk about a rivalry between the two teams.

Although Caitlin Clark clearly stated that it was just a game for the players, we have evidence that could prove the golden rookie wrong. In the Sky’s first game of the season with the Fever, Chennedy Carter hip-checked the first pick. The foul was later upgraded to Flagrant-1. But right after the incident, everyone saw Angel Reese jump up and cheer her teammate on for the action. The rookie also stood next to Carter at the media preview the next day.

Angel Reese herself clotheslined Caitlin Clark during their second meeting. When the referee booed her for it, she later suggested that some people “Special pipe.” Indiana won both games. Although nothing like that happened in the third meeting, fans had high hopes for the matchup and called it a rivalry game. Chicago took the win and defended their home field advantage. They also set a record attendance of over 3.3 million viewers. The ticket price was also one of the highest ever.

After the Olympic break, Sky and Fever will face each other again. Currently, Indiana leads the regular season 2-1. Seattle has finished its season series against Chicago 2-1. Only time will tell how Angel Reese and Sky will handle the continued physicality of their games.

Stay tuned for more updates like this and watch this video to hear what Shaq’s former agent Leonard Armato has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic rejection and more.