"They'll pay crazy to watch Caitlin Clark" - Skip Bayless calls out Angel Reese for past comments about WNBA ratings spike

Skip Bayless fired shots at Chicago Sky star Angel Reese following the Sky's 79-52 home loss to the Indiana Fever. Reese finished with four points and 12 rebounds on 2-for-7 as the Sky fell to the Fever, who were without Caitlin Clark due to a quad injury.

On Tuesday's episode of his show, Bayless called Reese a mix of "extreme strength and pathetic weakness." He brought up Reese's remarks last season, in which she claimed that the WNBA's rising popularity was not just because of one player.

"I'm not sure anybody has ever paid to see rebounding," Bayless said (Timestamp: 22:33). "Logo threes and magic passes, yeah, they will pay like crazy to watch Caitlin Clark. They'll pack NBA-sized arenas to watch Caitlin Clark.

"But Angel, for all your charisma and all your charm, all your highly-entertaining social media presence, for all your runaway smash-hit podcasting, if you can score only four against the Fever without Caitlin and look laughably bad doing so, you can't say you're playing as big a part in the WNBA's exploding ratings as Caitlin is."

Bayless also discussed the "rivalry" between the two young stars.

"It helps for Caitlin to have a foil figure," Bayless added. "Helps when you, Angel, play the villain role. ... But foil figures don't draw by themselves, they need to play off superstars."

Bayless claimed that Clark is must-see TV because of her performances, including "captivating" highlight plays. The sports analyst said that while Reese is talented in rebounding, no one wants to watch her rebound.

"I could be wrong, Angel, but I'm not sure any kid has ever asked a parent to be taken to a game to see Angel Reese rebound," Bayless said.

Angel Reese is off to a slow start this season, averaging 9.1 points and 12.3 rebounds for Chicago (2-5). In 2024, she set the WNBA record for rebounds in a single season with 446.

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Angel Reese recently shut down a reporter asking a question about her comments last year

During the Chicago Sky's media availability on May 13, a reporter brought up Angel Reese's remarks from the previous season. Before the media member could finish the question, Reese interrupted and said:

"Next question."

In May 2024, the then-rookie touched on the topic that Caitlin Clark was primarily the reason for the spike in the WNBA's popularity.

Reese uplifted her fellow rookies Kamilla Cardoso, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, saying that the WNBA surge should not be attributed to just one person.