Angel Reese and her Chicago Sky pulled off a stunner, snatching an 88-87 victory from the jaws of defeat against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever. The Fever seemed to be cruising to a comfortable win at the end of the third quarter, but their collapse in the final minutes left fans scratching their heads. And one particularly vocal critic is none other than former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.
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RGIII took to Twitter to vent his frustration, zeroing in on the Fever’s puzzling decision to keep the ball out of Clark’s hands in the game’s dying moments.
“Guys, what in the flying French toast are the Indiana Fever doing with Caitlin Clark? Their biggest matchup of the season, with playoff implications on the line, and in back-to-back-to-back-back possessions, the Indiana Fever didn’t give Caitlin Clark the ball.” Griffin fumed.
The former NFL QB didn’t hold back, pointing out that while the Fever kept falling behind, they refused to let their “most lethal shooter” take shots.
“Caitlin Clark should take the last shot. That’s why she’s there. She’s one of the most lethal three-point shooters on the face of the Earth. She was built for moments like that.” His message to the Fever was clear: “If you can’t see that, you just don’t know ball.”
There is no way on God’s green earth that Caitlin Clark shouldn’t have taken the last shot or even a shot in the last 30 secs of the game. https://t.co/sWMmHLmRr8 pic.twitter.com/NEYCFm9AnL
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 24, 2024
The Fever’s meltdown saw them squander a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, with Angel Reese achieving a career-high 25 points. In the final nail-biting 0.2 seconds, down by one, Clark was inexplicably tasked with inbounding the ball instead of taking the potential game-winner. That decision, Griffin argues, is where things went south for the Fever.
This loss stings for Indiana, dropping them to a 7-11 record and missing a chance to notch their seventh win and climb to fourth in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Sky firmed up their hold on that fourth spot, improving to 6-9 and leaving the Fever to ponder what might have been.
RGIII Believes Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Are Being Used in a Race War
The Indiana Fever’s 91-83 win over the Chicago Sky on June 16th was also overshadowed by a single moment — Angel Reese’s flagrant 1 foul on Caitlin Clark. The incident set social media ablaze, with more chatter about the foul than the game itself.
After the game, Robert Griffin III called out what he saw as a troubling trend and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to vent his frustration.
“Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are being used in a race war that’s not fair to either athlete or the game of basketball,” he wrote.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are being used in a race war that is not fair to either athlete or the game of basketball.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 17, 2024
That being said, while Angel Reese is no stranger to tough fouls, it’s Clark who’s been drawing the fair share of attention lately. Moreover, the intensity of the fouls against her has sparked heated debates: Are they intentional? Are her teammates doing enough to protect her? Should the WNBA step up its game in shielding this rising star who’s been a boom for league viewership and attendance?
The Clark-Reese saga has been simmering since Reese’s taunt in the 2023 national championship game. Now, as pros, their every interaction is under the microscope. Is this the making of the WNBA’s fiercest rivalry yet, or could it spiral into something more contentious? Griffin’s take has certainly got folks talking.
