LSU STAR Angel Reese faced off against Iowa legend Caitlin Clark in the championship game of the 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament.
During the game, Reese held nothing back and was seen mocking Clark with John Cena's "You Can't See Me" move, causing fans to wonder why the pair have beef.
What is the beef between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark?
Tensions were high heading into the final game of the 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament as both teams were looking to score their first championship ring.
While the odds might have been in the Hawkeyes' favor, Reese and her fellow LSU Tigers proved just how deserving the team was of the title by defeating the fan favorites 102-85.
Toward the end of the match, Reese was seen taunting Clark by pointing to her ring finger and doing Cena's "You Can't See Me" move- which Clark previously did during Iowa's Elite Eight win over Louisville.
The gestures quickly went viral and Reese later addressed it in a post-game interview, arguing that the criticism is tied to who she is.
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"All year I was critiqued about who I was. ... I don't fit the narrative. I don't fit in a box that y'all want me to be in. I'm too hood. I'm too ghetto. Y'all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y'all say nothing," Reese said, referring to the backlash she received vs the backlash Clark received, via CBS Sports.
"So this was for the girls that look like me, that's going to speak up on what they believe in. It's unapologetically you. That's what I did it for tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. It was bigger than me.
"Twitter is going to go on a rage every time, and I'm happy. I feel like I've helped grow women's basketball this year. I'm super happy and excited. So I'm looking forward to celebrating in the next season."
Reese then posted a picture of the gesture on Twitter, proving just how carefree she is about the situation.
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Clark then downplayed the interaction herself, claiming that she had "no idea" that Reese was even taunting her.
"All you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did, and all the credit in the world to LSU," Clark said.
"They were tremendous, they deserve it. They had a tremendous season. Kim Mulkey coached them so, so well. She's one of the best basketball coaches of all time, and she only said really kind things to me in the handshake line, so I'm very grateful for that too.
When asked about the taunting, she added: "Honestly I have no idea, and I was just trying to spend the last few moments on the court with especially the five people that I've started 93 games with and relishing every second of that."
What have people said about Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark's beef?
After Reese's "You Can't See Me" gesture went viral, several people took to Twitter to share their opinions.
While many users might've slammed Reese's actions as "pathetic" and "classless," there were several others that defended the LSU star.
One user wrote: "Athletes earned the right to dish it but they also got to be ready to take it. This goes at any level of sport, IMO. Both girls showed tremendous mental toughness and garnered a vast amount of appreciation for their actions."
Another added: "I see this kind of fiery competition in the NBA all the time, & I never hear people questioning their integrity. If anything it's praised in the NBA, & I feel like ppl being borderline sexist/double standards. Passionate play is part of pro-sports, & A big reason I watch sports."
A third said: "I see no difference, I don’t see what the issue of her doing the gesture. Happens in sports all the time."
What are LSU's marker rings?
LSU walked away with their first-ever championship ring after defeating Iowa, something they seemingly manifested earlier in the tournament.
Before Reese's gestures, the team made headlines during the Elite Eight round after Sa’Myah Smith was seen drawing a ring on Reese's finger with a black marker.
During that game, each player and staff member had a drawn-on ring that was meant to represent what they wanted- a championship ring.
“This is what you’re built for,” Reese said when asked about the rings, via Just Women's Sports. “This is what we want.”
The idea reportedly came from associate head coach Bob Starkey, who used a similar gesture while working as the assistant coach at Texas A&M in 2013 to inspire the team to win their first SEC tournament title.
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“I said, ‘This is just the loaner for now, but I want you to remember what you’re playing for,’” Starkey told The Athletic.
“‘If you get tired, if you get frustrated, you get a bad call or you miss a shot, I want you to look down there and remember what’s in front of us.’”
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