According to Joy Taylor, we wouldn’t be talking about Caitlin Clark like this if it weren’t for Angel Reese.
On a Patreon-only episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Joy Taylor said Reese’s ring-finger celebration during LSU’s title win over Iowa was the game-changer. Without that moment, she argues, Caitlin Clark wouldn’t be the star everyone’s talking about.
“We wouldn’t be talking about Caitlin Clark the way we do if it wasn’t that moment for Angel Reese,” Joy Taylor argued. “I will die on this hill.”
It’s certainly a hill to die on, especially since Clark was already dominating headlines long before Reese made that gesture.
She broke out in her junior year at Iowa, shattering tournament records and leading the Hawkeyes all the way to the 2023 national title game. That showdown — Clark vs. Reese — pulled in 9.9 million viewers, the highest-ever for a women’s college basketball game at the time.
The “Caitlin Clark effect” wasn’t just starting. It was already in full swing.
Still, Taylor insists Clark’s talent alone wasn’t enough to break through the noise and grab mainstream attention.
“It’s crazy to me, every time I bring this up, they’re like, ‘Angel’s not better. We would’ve been talking about her anyway.’ No the f*ck you wouldn’t. You f*cking wouldn’t,” Taylor explained. “And the reason you wouldn’t is I do this every goddamn day. I know what we talk about on my show. We were not doing WNBA topic — whole 15-minute segments — on the f*cking show until that happened. F*ck off. I know what I’m talking about. It’s not about saying that Angel’s better than Caitlin or that Caitlin wouldn’t be a great player. It’s principle storytelling. I’m not making this up. I know what I’m talking about.”
Taylor’s argument hinges on the idea that one viral moment is what launched Caitlin Clark into national relevance. But the numbers tell a different story. And pretending otherwise downplays just how much Clark had already done to move the needle on her own.
“Motherf*ckers were not arguing on shows — daily sports talk shows — they weren’t even talking about the WNBA,” she continued. “I’m not trying to get women’s sports into the show. And I have power. But I have to be able to say, ‘Do you guys care about this? Do you have an opinion about this? Is this resonating in the culture?’ I can’t just be like, ‘Let’s talk about this,’ and no one’s paying attention to it, and no one has an opinion. That’s not what these shows are.”
Taylor’s frustration with how women’s sports are covered is valid — airtime is limited, and getting producers to buy in takes more than just talent. But framing the Reese moment as the sole reason anyone cares about Caitlin Clark misses the bigger picture. Clark didn’t need a viral gesture to become relevant. She had already forced her way into the national conversation by doing what few players ever had.
And if Taylor and her FS1 counterparts were late to the party, that’s on them.