Former WNBA player says Angel Reese - not Caitlin Clark - gets a Former WNBA player says Angel Reese – not Caitlin Clark – gets a ‘special whistle (Credits: @Adrienne2012/X)

Chicago Sky’s rookie star Angel Reese has received some harsh criticism from a former WNBA player. Adrienne Ross, a former Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun star player called out Reese for receiving the ‘special whistle’ in her games. She posted a YouTube video discussing the matter on her YouTube channel, Adrienne Ross Show.

Ross talked about the recent Chicago Sky vs. Dallas Wings, where the Sky secured a much-needed victory with a final score of 83-72. She reviewed a video of Reese’s play where the Sky forward can be seen committing multiple fouls but is not called out on any one of them. The video featured Reese stealing the ball and then driving toward the basket to make a layup.

However, she commits multiple fouls in her attempt to do so. After stealing the ball, Reese can be seen picking up the ball after a dribble, carrying and traveling before putting the ball in the hoop.

“How many violations was that?!” Ross said. (starting at 4:30)


Ross points out that none of those fouls were called out despite being very obvious to anyone. She then reviewed an article written by Dylan Gwinn of BrietBrat to find a reason behind the ignorance of the officials. As per the article, the WNBA referees are the lowest-paid officials in any league.

Ross highlights how the article criticizes the WNBA for the low quality of games and officiating and Angel Reese for calling out Caitlin Clark for getting a special whistle in their last matchup. The former Sparks player agreed with the article and recalled the hard foul Reese had committed on Clark in their last matchup.

“Don’t talk about special whistle when you did that,” Ross said.

However, she also remarked that her criticism did not take away from the amazing feat of seven double-doubles Reese has achieved recently in her debut season.

Caitlin Clark shut down rivalry speculations with Angel Reese

The competition between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese goes way back to their collegiate days when Clark played for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Reese played for the LSU Tigers. Clark had the best of Reese in the last NCAA tournament when the Hawkeyes beat the Tigers. After that, they both declared for the draft and were drafted to the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, respectively.

However, even in the WNBA, the Fever’s star rookie has got the upper hand on Reese as the Fever are 2-0 against the Sky this season. Nonetheless, when asked about her rivalry with Reese, Clark buried the sentiment with a classy response.

“I’m pretty sure that the only people who view this as a rivalry is all of you,” Clark told the reporters after beating Atlanta Dream on Friday. “For us, it is just a game of basketball. That’s what it is. If it’s going to help move the game forward, then absolutely. That’s amazing.”

Angel Reese and Cailin Clark will go head-to-head again on Sunday at the WIntrust Arena in Chicago.

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