"Clearly A Lie": WNBA Journalist Pushes Back On Caitlin Clark's Angel Reese Friendship Claim After FIBA World Cup Win

Caitlin Clark had a simple answer about Angel Reese after Team USA won gold, but Jon Root was not convinced. Following the Americans' 97-79 win over France on September 13, Clark said she and Reese had “always been friends” when asked about their relationship. Root, an OutKick reporter, pushed back on X, writing, “I can understand Caitlin Clark not wanting to discuss her relationship with Angel Reese after winning gold in the FIBA World Cup, but it's clearly a lie that they've ‘always been friends'.”

Caitlin Clark And Angel Reese's Friendship Claim Draws Jon Root's Response

The question came after Clark and Reese had just helped Team USA finish another successful World Cup run. Jackson Thompson of OutKick asked Clark if she and Reese were friends now. Clark immediately rejected the idea that their friendship was something new, saying, “We've always been friends. Don't try to do that.”

Root's criticism is tied to the way Clark and Reese have been viewed since college. Their 2023 NCAA championship meeting became a major moment in women's basketball, and their rivalry followed them into the WNBA. That history helped create the idea that the two stars had a personal issue.

The World Cup gave fans a different picture. Clark and Reese played together, connected on the court and shared several relaxed moments as teammates. Their relationship became part of the tournament story, but so did their basketball. Team USA eventually beat France 97-79 to win its fifth straight World Cup title.

Caitlin Clark And Angel Reese Showed A Different Side With Team USA

Their time together in Berlin was not built around old WNBA storylines. Clark praised Reese before the knockout stage, telling the Associated Press, “We're both fiery, fiery competitors and we want to win, and it's one of the things I really admire about her game.”

Reese also spoke positively about playing alongside Clark. “We can kind of rely on each other, lean on each other,” she told the Associated Press. She added, “This is our first big national event, so being able to play with each other, learn each other and go through these learning process together, it's fun.”

That makes Root's comment more interesting because the players themselves have not described their relationship as a personal feud. Their competition is real, but so is the respect they have shown each other. With both teams heading toward the WNBA playoffs, Clark and Reese could soon return to opposite sides.