Over the weekend, the NCAA women’s basketball championship took place with Louisiana State University
beating the University of Iowa at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The win sparked controversy online following LSU’s Angel Reese, a Black player, repeating a taunt from Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, a white player, in previous games. While Clark was celebrated for the move, Reese was chastised amid calls of unsportsmanlike conduct on the way to a championship victory.According to Fox News, as the basketball game was winding down on Sunday, Reese was seen on camera pointing to her ring finger, signifying that’s where the NCAA championship ring will rest on her hand. But that wasn’t what caught the attention of the sports world. Reese incorporated a move popularized by WWE Wrestling icon John Cena which he termed “you can’t see me.” He would wave his fingers in front of his face against his opponent, mocking them with that taunt.
In the previous two NCAA Championship games Clark played, she made the gesture to her opponents on the basketball court. In the last game, she scored 40 points. As the victory was solidified on the court, Reese faced Clark and copied her move to the delight of some who knew she was mimicking her for doing so in her previous games.
After the game was over, Reese, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament for her stellar play, commented on why she made the gesture that, surprisingly, some who praised Clark for doing it found offensive when Reese repeated it.
“Caitlin Clark is a hell of a player for sure, but I don’t take disrespect lightly,” Reese stated on ESPN. “And she disrespected Alexis and South Carolina; they’re still my SEC girls, too. You all are not going to disrespect them, either.
“I wanted to pick her pocket. I had a moment at the end of the game, and I was just in my bag.”
Twitter did not allow the comparison between the two moves to go unnoticed. While Clark was praised and celebrated, Reese was admonished for doing it.