A video clip circulated online on February 28, 2025, showing Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark walking past a high-five attempt by Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese during a timeout in the United States' 91-48 victory over Puerto Rico in a FIBA Women's World Cup 2026 qualifying tournament game in Mexico City.[1][2]

Both players, selected to the USA Basketball roster for the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament that doubles as World Cup pre-qualifying, were teammates in the Group A matchup at Arena CDMX. Clark scored 21 points, while Reese added 12 points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.[1][3]

The interaction drew attention amid a perceived rivalry dating to the 2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship, when Reese's LSU Tigers defeated Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 on April 1 in Dallas. Reese gestured toward her ring finger after an Iowa three-pointer, a move that fueled fan debate.[4][5]

Iowa gained revenge with a 94-87 win over LSU in the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight on April 1 in Albany, New York, advancing Clark's team to the Final Four.[4][5]

In their 2024 WNBA rookie seasons, Clark's Fever and Reese's Sky met three times in the regular season, with physical play notable, including a flagrant-1 foul by Sky guard Chennedy Carter on Clark on June 16.[3][6]

A June 2025 WNBA game between the Fever and Sky saw referees upgrade a foul by Clark on Reese to flagrant-1 after review, following Reese's contact with a Fever player on a rebound; Reese and Fever center Aliyah Boston received technical fouls.[6]

USA Basketball holds its next qualifying game against Colombia on March 2, 2025, in Mexico City.[1]

Sources

1. USA Basketball, "USA Women roll past Puerto Rico 91-48 in FIBA World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament opener", February 28, 2025, https://www.usab.com/basketball/womens/news/2025/02/usa-91-puerto-rico-48-fiba-womens-world-cup-2026-qualifying-tournament.aspx
2. FIBA, "Boxscore: USA v Puerto Rico - FIBA Women's World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament Americas", February 28, 2025, https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-womens-world-cup-2026-qualifying-tournament-americas/game/15/USA-PUR#tab=box-score
3. ESPN, "Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese high-five snub goes viral in USA's win over Puerto Rico", March 1, 2025, https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/396xxxx/caitlin-clark-angel-reese-high-five-fiba-qualifier
4. NCAA.com, "2023 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship - All-Time Results", accessed March 2025, https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2023-04-02/2023-ncaa-di-womens-basketball-championship-all-tournament-team-announced
5. NCAA.com, "2024 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Bracket", accessed March 2025, https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2024-04-01/iowa-vs-lsu-elite-eight-recap