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Stephen A. Smith defends Angel Reese after brutal foul on Caitlin Clark and accuses WNBA referees of 'looking for something' so they can punish Chicago Sky rookie
Stephen A. Smith didn't take issue with WNBA officials giving Angel Reese a flagrant for her foul against Caitlin Clark on Sunday in Indianapolis. But the ESPN host does think league refs have their eye on the Chicago Sky star – particularly in the presence of her fellow rookie.
Clark's Indiana Fever beat Reese's Sky on Sunday to improve to 2-0 against Chicago on the season. The game was marred by several hard fouls on Clark, who absorbed similar contact from the Sky's Chennedy Carter in the form of a hip check during Indiana's win over Chicago two weeks earlier.
On Sunday, the contact came from Reese, who was ultimately given a flagrant 1 for striking Clark on the head as she drove to the basket.
'I will say this: It was a basketball play,' Smith said on ESPN's First Take on Monday. 'Yes, Angel Reese is right about that. But what they called against her in terms of upgrading it to a flagrant 1 is exactly what they would've done in the NBA as well… She can be upset about it, but it's a hit to the head and that's what they're doing in this day and age. The call is correct.'
But while the refs got the call right in Indianapolis, Smith believes they were already eyeing Reese over her reaction to Carter's hip check on Clark back on June 1.
Smith (pictured) thinks refs have their eyes on Reese after she celebrated a foul on Clark
Reese (far right) was whistled for a flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark during Sunday's matinee
'Number two,' Smith continued, 'I also think to some degree they're looking for something from Angel Reese because if you recall when Chennedy Carter bumped or shoved Caitlin Clark to the floor, what was that, June 1 if I remember correctly, you got footage of Angel Reese getting up and clapping and stuff.'
Smith wasn't overly concerned about Sunday's foul, which he sees as the consequence of a competitive game.
'But we don't care about that because once again that's basketball,' he said. 'That's what happens. It's no big deal.'
Many in the media have tried to draw comparisons between the Reese-Clark battles and Larry Bird's rivalry with Magic Johnson during the 1980s.
And while it's true that each rivalry began in college (2003 women's NCAA title game for Reese-Clark and the 1979 men's championship for Magic-Bird) before continuing in the pros, Smith sees the comparison as a bit of a stretch.
To Smith, the Celtics' Bird and Lakers' Johnson were similar players: Both 6-foot-9 stars who were more concerned with passing than anything else.
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark celebrates a basket during the first half against the Chicago Sky
But Reese is a gritty power forward, whereas Clark is a sharp-shooting guard and developing distributor. And to Smith, that dynamic diminishes the Clark-Reese rivalry.
'Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ain't competing with Larry Bird as much as Magic Johnson was going up against Larry Bird,' Smith said, before offering the New York Liberty's All-Star guard as a better rivalry for the Fever rookie. 'If [Sabrina] Ionescu and Caitlin Clark were going at one another, now that's a rivalry that I'm willing to entertain because their games are similar.'
Clark finished with 23 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds and now has a 3-1 record against Reese dating back to their college days. However, Reese's LSU Tigers did beat Clark's Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA title game.
Reese had 13 rebounds and 11 points, while committing five costly fouls in the 91-83 loss.
While many objected to the abuse Clark has received on the court, others believe the fouls have been overemphasized in the media.
As Smith's co-host, Andraya Carter, said, Las Vegas Aces star A'Ja Wilson 'gets hit in the head probably 10 times more than Caitlin.'
'But that's just a whole different story,' Carter said, adding: 'It's a physical game.'