Joy Taylor claims Caitlin Clark needed Angel Reese moment to become who she is

Caitlin Clark has a shot to be considered the face of the WNBA. The Indiana Fever guard was Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in her first season, and will be in the running for MVP this season. Clark's career has been defined by one more aspect: Her rivalry with Angel Reese.

The two faced off in the 2023 NCAA Championship Game on a huge stage. Reese's LSU comfortably beat Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes. The moment from the game that blew up was Angel taunting Caitlin by waving a hand in her face and also pointing to her ring finger.

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And while it's safe to say that the Fever guard has vastly outshone the Sky star on the WNBA level, Taylor thinks Caitlin's fame since making it to the pros has been thanks to that moment.

"It has now spun into this thing where, like, Caitlin is better than Angel, and blah blah blah," Taylor said on The Joe Budden podcast.

"I just said that we would not be talking about Caitlin Clark the way that we do if it wasn't for that moment with Angel Reese. And I will die on this hill. I will die on this hill."

While it was a massive moment that brought both stars into the limelight, this is a bit of a stretch for Taylor. Clark is great enough on her own and was already very popular by the time Iowa made the championship game. Reese has become quite influential herself, but this take is hard to agree with.

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