Rose BC started the season with a 1-4 record and they did not get past the .500 mark until Feb. 21. Even ESPN predicted them to finish bottom in the inaugural season of the Unrivaled. But Angel Reese and Co. defied those odds and won the 3×3 league. While Angel Reese could not participate in the postseason because of a nagging wrist injury, it still marks her first championship since turning pro last year. So, understandably, the Chi-Town Barbie could not resist the sweet-smelling roses of victory and took to X to celebrate the win. “WHAT YALL GON SAY NOW?? 🌹,” the LSU alum wrote. As expected, the internet did what it does best- spiraled into debates, comparisons, and the inevitable Clark-Reese discourse.

Before her injury, Reese was out there being a one-woman clean-up crew. Leading the league in rebounding with 12.1 boards per game, she earned the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award and grabbed a spot in the All-Unrivaled Second Team. The 22-year-old powered Rose BC through an eight-game winning streak and etched her name in history as the first player to notch a 20-20 game in Unrivaled. Not bad for someone who was, at one point, written off as just “too hood, too ghetto” for the game.

The internet cannot resist stirring the pot, so the second Rose BC won, one fan just had to tweet: “And yall said Angel wouldn’t win a professional ring before a certain somebody else😶.” No names were mentioned, but we all know who this was directed at. The reference here is to Reese’s long-time rival Caitlin Clark. Clark opted out of Unrivaled for some much-needed rest this year, but that wasn’t about to put an end to the comparisons.

Rose BC took down Vinyl BC 62-54 after a while of overcoming a slow start to the season and injuries to Reese and Kahleah Copper to become the first champions of the 3×3 league. Thanks to Azurá Stevens and Brittney Sykes, who stepped up in a major way to lead the charge against Vinyl BC. While Stevens was a beast in the paint, dropping 19 points and grabbing an astounding 18 rebounds, Sykes poured in 21 points, ensuring that even without Reese, Rose BC wouldn’t back down.

But that tweet was enough to incite fan wars on social media. Because, let’s be honest, these rivalries give enough content to talk about after the games. Remember Diana Taurasi vs. Alana Beard in the early 2000s? That was peak basketball drama. Anyway, poor Unrivaled too got dragged into the mix. From their comments, it was clear that the league that began as an initiative to empower women hoopers was in the end just a short-season experiment. The age-old debates resurfaced, much like they did with the WNBA’s early days.

Angel Reese’s win overshadowed

Fans started flooding the comment section, asking if the win in Unrivaled even counts as a ring. “Gurl a 6-team, 8-week offseason league is not a f–king ring 😂. Desperate much?” While another fan threw in a comparison between the NBA and the Big 3 league. “…. Do BIG3 championships count towards an NBA player’s career package?”

Well, this isn’t a new argument—similar doubts were cast on the WNBA in its early years, with many questioning whether it could ever match the NBA’s credibility. But it has been 28 years, and the league is only on an upward path. A similar case can hence be made for Unrivaled even though many argue that a “real ring” requires surviving a grueling, months-long season with playoffs, making Unrivaled’s championship seem more like a summer showcase. How can we expect so much though? It is still in its early stages.

One fan completely dismissed the league, saying, “Yall are talking about UNRIVALED?😭😭😭😭.” Let’s not forget that the Chi-town Barbie pocketed a total of $300,000 for participating in the 10-week league. An average salary of $250,000 and a win bonus of $50,000, which nearly matches her four-year, $324,383 rookie WNBA contract. So, the fact that this comment comes despite that is a bit confusing.

Another user, in order to mock the 3×3 league, took shots not only at Angel Reese but even at Chicago Sky. “The sky have to make the playoffs first for that to even happen. 💀.” Again, this user implied that winning championships in Unrivaled doesn’t mean an iota of what it does to win a WNBA championship. The Chicago Sky, the team that drafted Reese in the 2024 WNBA Draft, didn’t qualify for the postseason last year. However, they also played only games with a healthy roster. We just cannot ignore that aspect.

Going beyond the debate, one fan brought forth the question that must also live rent-free in most minds. “We love how the ‘certain someone else’ lives rent free. ☺️ You can’t even let Angel celebrate a victory without bringing her up. It’s almost like you’re a fan.🤔.” The remark was also a playful jab at how Clark critics seem to be keeping closer tabs on Reese than their favorite star. Fair enough.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and here’s WNBA prodigy Caitlin Bickle’s candid take on the intense Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese rivalry and a lot more!