Dave Portnoy, known for his forthright commentary, did not mince words in his critique of Angel Reese following her team’s defeat against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
On Sunday, Reese and the Chicago Sky faced off against the Fever, culminating in a 91-83 loss, despite Reese’s robust double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
This game followed a closely contested match on June 1, where the Fever narrowly triumphed over the Sky, 71-70.
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During the recent game, a moment of contention arose when Reese committed a flagrant 1 foul by hitting Clark in the head as she was making a drive to the basket in the third quarter. Reese’s comments after the game further fueled the controversy, as she criticized the officiating, claiming that there were ‘special whistles’ favoring certain players.
In response, prominent sports commentators weighed in. Jason Whitlock described Reese as delusional, while Skip Bayless speculated that jealousy might be motivating her actions.
Joining this chorus of critics, Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy delivered a blistering rebuke towards Reese, particularly focusing on her postgame remarks. “Caitlin Clark takes the high road, and all Angel Reese does after the game is take shots at her,” Portnoy remarked. He then sharply criticized Reese’s reaction to the foul: “That’s a flagrant, so shut up, Angel Reese. You can’t have your cake. All she does is complain [and] whine. She has the main character syndrome. You aren’t Caitlin. You’re never gonna be Caitlin. So shut the f*** up. And own it.”
Reese defended her team’s aggressive play in the postgame press conference, suggesting that despite their strong efforts, the calls weren’t going their way. “I think we were playing really hard. I think we went up really strong a lot of times, and we didn’t get a lot of calls,” Reese stated. She further elaborated on her review of the game footage, indicating missed calls by the officials, “And going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle.”
Amid the mounting criticism, Portnoy even commented that he would have more respect for Reese if she admitted her actions were intentional. “Be like: ‘Yeah, I hate that girl, I had her shut.’ Basketball play my a**. ‘I knew I could whack her in the head and knock her over, so that’s what I did.’ Then I’d respect it,” he added, expressing a blunt disregard for politically correct commentary.
Portnoy’s unabashed reactions continued during the game as he posted real-time critiques, highlighting another contentious play where Dana Evans hooked Clark’s arm, prompting him to comment on the Sky’s tactics: “Chicago Sky doing Chicago Sky stuff,” and after Reese’s foul, “Shocker. Angel Reese and the Sky doing Angel Reese and Sky stuff. By the way, Caitlin is cooking them.”
This loss marks the fourth consecutive defeat for the Sky, dropping their season record to 4-9, while the victory provides the Fever a boost to a 5-10 record. The ongoing narrative surrounding Reese and her clashes on the court, amplified by commentators like Portnoy, continues to stir debate and attention around the WNBA.
