How Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese connection continues to grow as USA 'teammates for a long time'

BERLIN — Caitlin Clark extended her hand to a United States teammate in the first quarter of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup quarterfinal game against Hungary. It was a gesture of appreciation for the connection that had just occurred.

Seconds earlier, Paige Bueckers recorded a steal from Hungary’s Yvonne Turner. Bueckers’ pass met Clark, and like clockwork, she was off. Clark found her way to the paint where 6-foot-4 Dorka Juhasz stood as the last line of defense. Faced with an easy decision, Clark dished the ball to Angel Reese, who went up for the layup with two seconds to go, bringing the U.S. to the end of the first quarter with a 36-12 lead.

As Clark reached out her hand, Reese met it with simplicity and normalcy. This would be the first of four total assists between Clark and Reese in an overwhelming 108-56 U.S. victory.

In a world that continues to divide these two athletes, the World Cup has offered another viewpoint, one that seems all the more true. It is a stage that presents these women as selfless competitors, and more simply as teammates.

In a post-game interview with TNT, Reese remarked on her connection with Clark, saying “We’ve played against each other so many times, so I’m sure we know each other’s game like the back of each other’s hand.”

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The connection between Clark and Reese has evolved over the past five years, since they first faced each other as freshmen — Clark at Iowa and Reese at Maryland.

Their rivalry took off in 2023 after Reese transferred to LSU, when the Tigers met Iowa for the 2023 NCAA women’s national championship. LSU pulled away with a 102-85 win over Iowa. In the midst of it all, Reese was pictured emulating Clark’s previous taunt as she waved her hand over her face toward Clark, referring to John Cena’s “you can’t see me” gesture.

From that moment on, their rivalry was set. Suddenly, Clark and Reese were pitted against each other by external perceptions, both as players and as people, forcing fans to choose a side in the years to follow.

But over the past seven days, it has become impossible to ignore what is occurring on the court and in practices. Two players, who were never supposed to be teammates, are finding ways to win, and they are doing it together.

“We as coaches love when they share the ball, and they just did that at a high level,” U.S. coach Kara Lawson said. “So really unselfish for our group and another balanced attack.”

In the second quarter, Clark found Reese twice in the span of two minutes. One came with 8:36 left to play. Clark exploded downcourt off a steal. She could have driven in for the layup herself, but she found her teammate to her left and released a one-handed pass to Reese, who put two on the board.

Moments later, Clark released the ball at halfcourt, over the heads of three Hungarian players, and found Reese in the paint, who completed the layup, bringing the U.S. lead to 47-18.

Going into the locker room at halftime, three of Clark’s four assists found their way to Reese, proving how dominant this connection can be.

In the third quarter roles reversed, as it was Reese’s turn to set up the shot. With 1:24 left, Reese forced a turnover from Turner and started a fast break. As pressure from Hungary mounted behind her, a familiar teammate in white caught up beside her. And just as if they had done it a million times before, Reese tossed the ball to Clark near the key, who went up for the layup, bringing the score to 86-41.

“I think she has gotten it to me a lot of times, so it was finally due for me to get one to her,” Reese said. “And she easily finished it, so we continue to grow together. We are probably going to be Olympic teammates for a long time, so just continue to build chemistry.”

Clark did not appear in the mixed zone interview area to speak to reporters.

As a team, the U.S. relied on assists to secure a dominant victory. Clark led her team with nine assists, and Reese tallied three. Chelsea Gray had six assists. The Americans’ 31 total assists set a World Cup record for a quarterfinal game.

“Everybody’s just dialed in offensively and defensively,” Reese said. “We talked about our keys, what it’s going to take to win gold, and I think tonight we did everything that Coach asked us to do.”

The connection between Reese and Clark had felt natural, and most importantly, sustainable. In just a few days, across an ocean from the noise, it had become a connection now impossible to ignore, a factor to be celebrated rather than torn apart, as they compete for gold, together.

Jenna Black is a graduate student at IU Indianapolis and part of the Sports Capital Journalism Program.Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.

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