Stephen A. Smith Torches Angel Reese After Michael Jordan Comparison
The Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark saga just took a scorcher of a turn—this time courtesy of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who blasted comparisons between Reese and basketball icon Michael Jordan. His fiery critique came after journalist Jemele Hill suggested Reese could one day be the WNBA’s version of MJ.
Smith didn’t hold back. “Angel Reese had the stage to herself when Clark was injured,” he said, “and dropped four points like she was allergic to scoring.” He slammed Reese for failing to step up in Clark’s absence, calling her rebound-heavy game “a blooper reel in slow motion.”
Citing Reese’s marketing blitz in Clark’s home city, Smith called it “empty theatrics,” especially given her underwhelming stats—blocked 20 times with only 21 field goals made. “That’s not a rivalry,” Smith said. “That’s a mismatch.”
While he acknowledged that criticism of Reese sometimes has racial undertones, he insisted this was about performance: “Branding gets you in the door, but production keeps you in the room. Right now, she’s flickering, not shining.”
If Reese doesn’t rise fast, Smith warns, she may be benched—or worse, forgotten.
