Michelle Obama Under Fire After Voicing Opinion On Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark Showdown

Many eyes have been on Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and the WNBA since their fiery showdown during the 2023 NCAA national championship game, including those of former First Lady Michelle Obama's.

During her time on Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson's podcast, the "Becoming" author weighed in on the always-explosive showdown between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, sparking an interesting reaction from users online.

While discussing the WNBA's ongoing salary negotiations, Michelle also spoke with Barnes and Jackson about the rivalry between Clark and Reese, emphasizing the importance of this dynamic for the game's growth.

However, the Chicago native also discussed how difficult it might be for both women to be in the limelight, considering the role social media plays in today's society.

“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it. But that’s true across the board. I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand, because social media is such a huge part of the world,” Michelle said.

“There’s the hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time," the mother of two continued. "And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they’re making their living that way. I mean, now they are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder not to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”

On Instagram, Michelle's weighing in on the Reese and Clark matchup didn't go over too well with sports fans.

"What's amazing is [Michelle] thinks people care what they're saying," a user wrote, while another commented, "Why do I care about [her] opinion?"

Other users seemed to echo that sentiment, with one sharing, "Oh boy, I've waited so long for [Michelle's] opinion on this matter."

Michelle Obama, however, isn't the first A-lister to voice their opinions on today's most popular basketball stars.

According to a previous report from The Blast, NFL star and Super Bowl champion Tom Brady also showed some love to the two women during a past interview, emphasizing how "exciting" it has been to watch them develop.

"Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, this little thing they got going, I love that. It's been really exciting," he said.

Michelle Obama's comments about Reese and Clark come months after tensions flared between the two WNBA sensations in May 2025, leading the league to investigate claims of racism directed toward Reese in Indiana's Gainbridge Fieldhouse during the season opener.

Shortly after, Clark issued a statement, according to a previous report from The Blast, slamming the alleged racist behavior. "There's no place for that in our game, there's no place for that in society," she said.

A little over a week after launching its investigation, the WNBA released its findings, stating that while it was unable to verify the claims, it remained committed to fostering an inclusive environment for its players.

Reese's home team, the Chicago Sky, thanked the league for taking the matter seriously, adding, "This process demonstrates the league's strong stance on stopping hate at all WNBA games and events."

And the former First Lady's statements about the unprecedented amount of hate Clark and Reese are receiving aren't the first time the topic has been discussed.

In a previous interview during WNBA All-Star weekend, Reese got extremely candid about being the target of cyberbullying.

Reese explained that, at first, navigating the negativity was so difficult that she had to change various aspects of her daily routine.

"It was bigger than basketball when they were finding my address [and] my car. I had to change my whole lifestyle. It doesn't bother me as much anymore just because I feel like I've built a thicker skin, but not everybody has a thick skin," she said.