Lights, Camera, Action. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are the two newest protagonists of the WNBA. Since their arrival, there has been a narrative that Clark is being intentionally hurt by Reese and other players. While Clark doesn’t play much of a physicality game, Reese certainly does so. But the question is if Clark is being targeted. On Monday, Indiana Reporter Dan Dakich came forward to support Clark while slamming the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Engelbert had expressed her opinion that everyone is going through the same physicality in the game and Clark is taking her rightful time to adjust. But Dakich who has been observing the game for a while did not support Engelbert.

Dan Dakich attacks Cathy Engelbert and Angel Reese over Caitlin Clark

As per Dakich, Clark is being attacked by her opponents and it certainly needs to come to everyone’s notice. Therefore, he took a dig at Engelbert and her statement. “I am going to be really honest…My wife brought this up. This isn’t physical because they’re physical. This is physical because they’re awkward. This is physical because Angel Reese can’t move her left leg when she runs, so she stumbles around to get in help position. I mean if we’re really going to talk basketball about it. I mean I know we’re not allowed to,” Dakich said, via OutKick, while throwing shade at Reese.

Reese stumbles because of her left leg issue. Reese had formerly had a rod inserted inside her left leg and also has a scar for that. Reese therefore wears the left one-legged sleeve. As per Dakich, Reese throws herself onto the opponent just because she knows she might be outsmarted in her balling skills. He also didn’t spare Engelbert as he made a mockery of her explanation that didn’t seem to support Clark.“These clowns try to outsmart you. They all try to outsmart you. Well yeah! yeah! ‘I think that we have the greatest most physical.’ Yeah, okay all right,” Dakich had stated previously.

via Getty

Therefore, according to him, Engelbert was only giving lame excuses. Engelbert had gone on to opine that the WNBA is made of the best talent and therefore, appears physical and every rookie needs to adjust to it. “We have the best, biggest, most physical best players in the world right well people don’t realize in college there’s over 200 NCAA division one Women’s College Programs, there’s 12 WNBA teams. So you take the talent and it’s centralized with the best, the biggest, the most physical, and really the best players in the world. So, I think there’s always adjustment for all rookies.” Meanwhile, Reese had also been penalized for fouling Clark.

Angel Reese receives a flagrant 1 foul for hitting Caitlin Clark

During the second game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, Clark was going to score when she was hit in the head by Reese’s hand. The incident happened in the third quarter when the Fever had a 63-62 lead. Clark was notably trying to score when Reese in an attempt to block hit Clark’s head. Initially, though Reese was adjudged a personal foul, it was soon escalated to a flagrant foul 1.

In the end in that game, Clark had the last laugh as Reese lost the contest by a 91-83 margin. And Reese opined that the referees had punished her with a flagrant foul despite being innocent.

Perhaps, the debate about physicality will keep on continuing in the WNBA. But Clark’s fans would just be hoping that in the end, Clark adjusts to the physicality- something that has been her issue for a while- and help her team to a solid position in the cash-rich league.