Caitlin Clark’s Ex-Teammate Breaks Silence on Angel Reese Drama as Chicago Star Gets a Public Apology

On January 27th, 2025, Caitlin Clark’s ex-Iowa teammate would attempt a hard block during the Laces’ 69-55 win over Rose BC. On the other end? Angel Reese. Rumors swirled and misinformation spread– the Chi-Town Barbie wanted the former Hawkeye out of the league, it read. But weeks in, the truth is out, and a public apology is setting the record straight. Comes just in time– Reese has had more rumors to deal with and clap back at.

Following the instance, a post was doing its rounds online, falsely claiming, “SHOCKING: Angel Reese calls for the league to kick out Kate Martin after the former Iowa star sent her ‘Back to the Bayou’ in intense matchup in unrivaled debut.” A women’s basketball enthusiast, by the user name of @recruit.the.hood, admittedly went on to share the report without truly knowing the facts. It would take Kate Martin’s reply on the DMs, as he claims, to understand the truth.

“Hey man, that post about Angel wanting me out of Unrivaled is completely untrue. I try to stay out of social media BS but I couldn’t let that one slide. I don’t like misinformation like that out there,” the former LV Aces star’s message reads as per the screenshot.

@recruit.the.hood, who has been a Reese fan since as early as 2021, brought up to matter to his feed and apologized for having been a part of the misinformation train. “I feel like such an idiot… I want to apologize to @angelreese5 because I criticized her the other day thinking that she wanted Kate out of the league… and Kate sent me this message today and I just felt so bad,” he wrote on his Instagram. “I try to post things that are factual, but in this case, I missed… nobody’s fault but mine…” 

The drama kicked off after Martin and Reese’s showdown in the Unrivaled league. With under a minute to play in the first quarter and the Laces leading 13-12, Reese drove hard to the hoop, only to be met in the air by Martin. The Hawkeye fouled Reese hard, sending her crashing to the floor. Reese missed the shot but made her free throw—a valuable two points under Unrivaled rules. The foul itself was tough but clean—nothing that should’ve sparked a scandal. But social media had other ideas, which led to a lot of misinformation about the situation.

But once Kate Martin herself reached out to recruit.the.hood on Instagram, he decided to post a public apology, “I promise to do better in the future and make sure I’m 100% certain of things before I post them,” he wrote.

The situation highlights the power—and the danger—of misinformation in sports. Reese and Martin are both rising stars in the WNBA, and with the added attention from the Unrivaled league, every moment is under the microscope. And with Reese already under immense scrutiny, which she has kept no secret about, that was a burden unseen and uncalled for.

“Imagine the information being spread about her from people who genuinely hate her?” recruit.the.hood added. “That’s the scary part… and I fell for it.” Owning up to mistakes online is rare—but seeing a player like Martin step in to clear the air? That kind of clarity and confidence is why her stock is skyrocketing—on and off the court.

Angel Reese silences the noise with game-changing performances and bold statements

Despite the hate, Angel Reese is letting her game—and her voice—do the talking. And the results? Loud and clear. Reese dominated with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in just 13 minutes as Rose BC steamrolled Vinyl BC 74-46 on March 7, bumping their record to 8-6 in the Unrivaled league. But it wasn’t just her on-court dominance that had people buzzing—it was how she handled the noise afterward.

“For someone they ‘hate’ so much, literally be having them so riled up. Having to tell lies for engagement is crazyyyy work,” Reese posted on X, firing back at the wave of misinformation surrounding her comments on the new WNBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

Reese didn’t just clap back—she made a point. On a recent episode of Unapologetically Angel with DiJonai Carrington, Reese addressed the CBA’s impact on future rookies: “The ones coming this year will still be on the rookie contract again. The ones the year after, they’re gonna get more. They’re probably gonna be making more than us.” It’s a valid concern—and one the WNBA should pay attention to as they craft the new agreement.

Reese wants better pay and incentives for all players so she just made a statement so that the few issues she highlighted could be addressed. “I gotta get in the meetings because I’m hearing, If y’all don’t give us what we want, we sitting out.” Reese has been vocal about WNBA salaries before—back in October, she went viral for breaking down her $73,439 paycheck, admitting, “The WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. Yo, I’m living beyond my means!”

Reese isn’t just surviving the pressure—she’s owning it. After shutting down false narratives about her and Kate Martin’s January matchup, Reese is proving that no amount of online noise can shake her focus. The haters can keep talking—but Reese is making sure the scoreboard, and her bank account, reflect the truth.