Caitlin Clark defends Angel Reese for 'taunting' her during title game

Caitlin Clark has come to the defense of LSU star Angel Reese after she was criticized for "taunting" her during a title game.

The 20-year-old athlete came slammed during the NCAA title game on Sunday (April 2) after she threw up John Cena's famous "You Can't See Me" hand gesture when LSU Tigers won 102-85 against Iowa Hawkeyes

As well as the signature gesture, Reese was pointing to her ring finger to demonstrate to 21-year-old Clark's team where the championship title was going.

The move sparked outrage online as several people in the basketball industry called out Reese. Even the word "classless" was trending on Twitter following the game as people voiced their disappointment.

Watch Reese "taunt" her opponent below:

However, prominent stars like Lebron James supported the young sports star against the backlash. The Lakers athlete retweeted Emmanuel Acho's tweet denouncing those who attacked her but not Clark.

He also shared Ryan Clark's message on Twitter which read: "If you praised Caitlin Clark as competitive, fiery, and passionate for doing the 'You can’t See me' celebration and are criticizing Angel Reese for the same we already know!!"

Some users even pointed out that there was no anger when Reese's opponent did the same gesture during the Elite Eight and Final Four, with one person pointing out: "If you celebrated Clark for doing this but not Angel Reese you gotta take a long, long look in the mirror."

Now, the Iowa star - whose 191 points throughout the 2023 March Madness games set a new record in the tournament - has weighed in on the ongoing controversy.

Watch Clark speak on the controversy below: 

In an interview with ESPN, Clark said: "I don't think Angel should be criticized at all. No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did."

"I think everybody knew there was gonna be a little trash talk in the entire tournament," she continued. "It’s not just me and Angel."

"I think the biggest thing is we're all competitive. We all show our emotions in a different way. Angel is a tremendous, tremendous player. I have nothing but respect for her. I love her game, the way she rebounds the ball, scores the ball is absolutely incredible," Clark went on, as cited by CNN.

"Like I said, they played an amazing game so I don't think there should be any criticism for what she did. I honestly didn't see it when the game was going on and like I said, I haven't been on social media really at all," she added.

Angel Reese (middle) with her teammates at LSU Tigers after their win. Credit: UPI / Alamy

Reese also spoke out about the criticism in a post-game interview and said that the selective outrage does not bother her because all year she had been "critiqued" for her identity.

"All year, I was critiqued about who I was," Reese said. "The narrative - I don’t fit the narrative. I don't fit into the 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 don’t say nothing."

The athlete - who transferred from Maryland to LSU last summer - said this victory is for "the girls that look like me," advising them to be "unapologetically you".

"And, that’s what I did it for tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. Twitter is gonna go on a rage every time. And, I’m happy. I feel like I've helped grow women's basketball this year," she concluded.

Sunday's victory counted as the LSU women's basketball team's first-ever NCAA title. Congratulations to the ladies.

Featured image credit: UPI / Alamy