Riley Gaines makes her feelings known about the clash between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark at the WNBA playoff

Swimmer turned social activist Riley Gaines recently expressed her thoughts about the clash between WNBA stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Both players were a part of the recent WNBA clash between Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever, which the latter won with a comfortable margin of 93-58.

However, the highlight of the match wasn't the brilliant teamwork of the Indiana Player fevers, but the rough spat between Clark and Reese. Clark was accused of a foul, when she collided with Reese during the third quarter.

This led to the latter hurling obscenities at Clark. However, Clark seemingly let the matter cool down, and accepted the penalties awarded by the authorities. Gaines noticed this development as she posted her thoughts on her X profile [formerly Twitter]. The 25-year-old activist wrote,

"This isn't just a basketball rivalry anymore. Angel Reese HATES Caitlin Clark"

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This isn't the first time Riley Gaines has reacted on a clash between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. In May 2024, Reese criticized Clark for taking a chartered flight, which didn't go down well with a section of social media users, including Gaines. The former NCAA swimming champion called her out as she expressed her thoughts on her X profile, writing,

"Incredibly disheartening to see Angel Reese attack Caitlin Clark like this. Just entirely baseless and distasteful. The tweet screams jealousy and insecurity. Although, Caitlin Clark probably deserved this given she has white, straight, pretty & tall-privilege. Right, @sunny?"

Indiana Fever will face Atlanta Dream next in their WNBA game on May 21 at their homeground of Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.

Riley Gaines backs NBA legend Charles Barkley's bold stance on trans athletes

Riley Gaines backs NBA legend Charles Barkley's bold views on the participation of trans athletes [Image Source : Getty]

Riley Gaines recently backed former NBA star Charles Barkley over his views on the participation of trans athletes. Gaines had gained limelight for her persistent campaign against the participation of trans athletes since 2022. Notably, she called out the NCAA for allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas to participate in women's swimming events.

In an interview on Outkick's 'Don't @ Me' podcast, Barkley maintained that while he is not against the transgender community, he will never back the idea of biological males competing in women's sports. In his words,

"Men should not play sports against women...I support the transgender community a 100%, but I don't...think men should play sports against women," Barkley said.

Gaines shared a clip of the interview on her X timeline, where she wrote in the caption,

"It's really been this simple the whole time. It requires zero explanation. More sports anchors and professional athletes should follow suit. That's when this stops being controversial."

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Riley Gaines also called out the participation of boxers Imane Khelif and Lin yu-Ting at the Paris Olympics 2024 over the controversy surrounding their gender identity. She was openly acknowledged for the efforts by current US President Donald Trump, after he signed the executive order that banned the participation of trans athletes in women's sports in USA.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma