Michelle Obama condemns hate faced by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on social media

Former First Lady Michelle Obama shared her thoughts on the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese debate during an appearance on the “All The Smoke” sports podcast, hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

While discussing the WNBA’s rapid growth, Barnes said various storylines, both positive and negative, have fueled the league’s rise, with the most prominent being the ongoing rivalry between Clark and Reese.

Obama said that social media has intensified the negativity surrounding the two stars.

“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it, but that's true across the board,” she said. “Social media is such a huge part of their world. There's the hate, but now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time.

“And you can't, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off because they're making their living that way. They now are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse.”

Check out Michelle Obama's statements from the 59:57 mark:

Last year, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert drew backlash after commenting that the rivalry carried racial undertones, comparing it to the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird dynamic.

NBA analyst says Caitlin Clark is in the WNBA minority

As debates swirl around the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese saga, The Ringer senior staff writer Wosny “Big Wos” Lambre argued that the Indiana Fever star is a minority within the league.

On “The Young Turks” in June, Big Wos was asked about the two stars and their first matchup of the season, a game in which Clark was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for shoving Reese.

He explained why he sees Clark as outside the WNBA’s dominant culture.

“I think the league is extremely woke,” he said. “And Caitlin Clark has taken a lot of pains to be apolitical. Also, she's straight. That's another part, she's not gay. So she's not part of the dominant culture (in the WNBA), okay? In society and culture, yes, she is. But in the context of the WNBA, she ain't part of that.

“And so you add that to the ‘great white hope’ feeling to a predominantly Black league, it's not hard to understand why people was annoyed by her. You ain't woke, you ain't gay, and you ain't black. Get out of here.”

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s rivalry began during their college careers and gained steam once they turned professional. However, it has drawn slightly less attention this season, as both All-Stars have dealt with injuries.