Ever seen a star get star-struck? So much so, they had to rub their eyes just to believe what they were seeing. That’s exactly what happened to Caitlin Clark not too long ago. “I thought it was kind of fake at first…” she said. It happened when none other than LeBron James showed his support for her ahead of the WNBA season opener between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever. He wrote, “Good luck and DO YOU per usual this season!!! @caitlinclark22 🙏🏾💪🏾🫡👑.” For Caitlin Clark, this came from her “favorite player of all time.” Hence, it was a valid reaction to give. However, this time it’s about someone who was standing on the other side of the court that night.

Someone who has drawn LeBron comparisons of her own.Whose younger brother the Lakers legend will now mentor. It’s about Angel Reese, suited up in a Chicago Sky jersey.

Angel Reese just dropped her season-high performance on the night she hit 50 pro-career games. Against the Spark, she managed to lead in all the major stat categories. With  24 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists, she also became the first WNBA player to record 15+ rebounds in four consecutive games. Who could accuse her of stat-padding after this one? So, finally, the love started pouring in on the internet, but apparently, Bron’s absence from this love bombing trail didn’t sit right with a lot of fans.

Especially after he has been vocal about his love and support for Clark. Take this, for example, “The CC EFFECT!!” James wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). Or, “WELCOME BACK! You were missed!” It was after the Indiana Fever handed the New York Liberty their first loss of the WNBA season. There, Caitlin Clark had scored 32 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. So when Angel Reese is making her way to the lists filled up with MVPs, a fan got curious as to why LeBron’s “keyboard not working? @kingjames.” 

And it just might have been something that was on other people’s minds too…

Angel Reese just broke some records; will LeBron break his silence?

Probably not, because according to some people, there might be a very calculated reason behind the silence. “LeBron’s tweets are business decisions,” said one netizen. Another person went a little in-depth about it and broke it down for us. They wrote, “Angel is a Reebok athlete and co-signed by Shaq; it’s not expected nor is it needed for LeBron to tweet about her. ESPECIALLY when CC’s Nike signature is coming.” 

It’s entirely possible that the G.O.A.T. is just… playing the business game. After all, in the past, he did turn down a $10 million offer from Reebok to secure a $90 million deal from Nike. And what a decision that was! Man’s now got a $1 billion lifetime contract with the biggest sports apparel brand.

This was a rational perspective. However, some people simply took it to extremes. Many Reese fans ended up writing things like “Safe to say LeBron hates Angel???” and “Lebron is clearly jealous of angel.” Of course, those takes don’t quite hold up. Because LeBron James, more than most, knows what it’s like to be on the hated end of the spectrum. He’s lived it for two decades (and still does).

And in that sense, he and Angel Reese share more in common than people realize. And one fan pointed it out aptly when they wrote, “I never thought I would see the day where people hate on an athlete as much as they hate on LeBron James. But we’re seeing the eggsact same thing with Angel Reese right now and it’s sad 😞😕😒.”

Then there’s a third wave of commentary. The people who believe Angel Reese hasn’t earned the applause just yet. They wrote: “Angel Reese had 1 good game now she LeBron jr. chill out.” But on the other side are those who argue that she doesn’t need the applause. It reflected when they wrote, “Angel Reese had 24/17/7 and you LOSERS bring out lebron. P A T H E T I C af man.” And, “yall we do not need Lebron to like Angel or show her love. She is who she is. She don’t need his validation! Let him like who he likes.”

Finally, we stand with the last bunch. They are the people who recognize personal choices. As one fan put it, “liking caitlin ≠ hating angel.” In a time where narratives can be twisted and tension manufactured, it’s easy to add fuel to non-existent fires. Like the one time when a parody account Comedy Centel posted a fake screenshot claiming Angel Reese commented under a LeBron-Caitlin photo: “MJ never lost a Finals, BTW.”

It was pure satire, but some still believe it to this day. At the end of the day, it’s our responsibility to choose wiser and surround ourselves with the coverage that actually matters and cuts the noise. So, stay connected with us for more reliable updates.