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Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese downplay heated moment after flagrant foul in Fever's season-opening rout

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Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese downplay heated moment after flagrant foul in Fever's season-opening rout

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Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark began her 2025 WNBA season with a triple-double in her team’s 93-58 rout of the Chicago Sky Saturday. 

During the game, Clark was called for a flagrant foul after a hard foul on her rival, Angel Reese.

The star Sky center was angry with the foul by Clark and went after her in a heated exchange broken up by Sky and Fever players. Clark walked away and never once looked at Reese as Reese continued to walk toward her. 

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) fouls Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Trevor Ruszkowsk/Imagn Images)

While it appeared tense on the court, Clark and Reese said the foul wasn’t as bad as it seemed after the game. 

“Let’s not make it something that it’s not,” Clark said after dropping 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. 

“It’s a take foul to put them at the free throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life. That’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”

ANGEL REESE, CAITLIN CLARK HAVE HEATED EXCHANGE AFTER HARD FOUL DURING SKY-FEVER GAME

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During the play, Reese got an offensive rebound, and Clark appeared to motion toward the referee that the Sky center pushed off a fellow Fever player. Clark then fouled Reese intentionally, hugging her to prevent an easy layup. 

The ESPN broadcast debated whether Clark pushed Reese slightly with her left arm after committing the foul, which might have led to Reese’s angry reaction. 

Without elaborating, Reese called it a “basketball play” from Clark, a term both players have used in the past. 

Reese struggled shooting in her season debut, scoring 12 points on 5 of 14 from the field, while grabbing a game-high 17 rebounds. 

It was a brief moment, but considering the history between Clark and Reese, it’s another chapter in a rivalry that goes back to their college days. The Fever and Sky are now rivals because of the history between Clark and Reese.

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Caitlin Clark makes pass past Angel Reese

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) passes around Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58. (Imagn)

Last season, the Fever took three of their four matchups, which included several hard fouls that led to national debate. 

Stephanie White, who got her first win as head coach of the Fever, also commented on Clark’s foul. 

“Nobody’s going to get anything easy against us,” White said. “We’re going to be a tough defensive team. I thought it was a clear play on the ball as well.”

“The foul on Clark met the criteria for flagrant foul 1, for wind up, impact and follow-through for the extension of the left hand to Reese’s back, which is deemed not a legitimate basketball play, and therefore deemed unnecessary contact,” crew chief Roy Gulbeyan said of Clark. 

“After the foul, there is a physical taunt technical on Boston and a verbal technical on Reese, which offset.”

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Angel Reese talks to Caitlin Clark

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts to a flagrant foul by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  (IMAGN)

The sold-out crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse cheered as Reese missed the first of her two free throws before Chicago retained the ball after the technical foul. 

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Bill Belichick-Jordon Hudson drama revealed in new emails

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Bill Belichick-Jordon Hudson drama revealed in new emails

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Emails obtained by WRAL show Bill Belichick addressing the controversy over his romantic and professional relationship with Jordon Hudson. 

The relationship between the legendary coach and the 24-year-old model has drawn national scrutiny after a controversial “CBS Sunday Morning” interview.

Hudson declared, “We’re not talking about that” when Belichick was asked about how the couple met. 

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Former cheerleader Jordon Hudson arrives at Sports Illustrated’s SI The Party at Mardi Gras World Feb. 8, 2025, in New Orleans. (Skip Bolen/Getty Images)

Belichick claimed in one email that CBS “secretly” had a camera focused on Hudson despite the model requesting to sit off camera. 

“Secretly, CBS had a camera focused on Jordon where Lead producer Gabe instructed her to sit,” Belichick reportedly wrote.

Belichick elaborated on why the question of how they met was not answered. 

PATRIOTS’ CHRISTIAN BARMORE SET TO RETURN TO FIELD AFTER SUFFERING FROM BLOOD CLOTS

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“I met Jordon randomly on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021. That is no secret. Jordon was not dodging the specific question regarding how we met, but rather was preventing the interview from continuing to probe into personal matters,” the email said. 

Belichick also addressed why Hudson was present at the interview to begin with. He believed the interview would be focused on his book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from a Life in Football.”

Bill Belichick and girlfriend at NFL Honors

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson at the 14th Annual NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans.  (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

“Jordon was present at the CBS interview because David Kass, the Simon & Schuster publicist, was not there,” Belichick wrote, referring to the publisher of his book. “I included Jordon in the book acknowledgments because she was a creative contributor to the book, including having the idea for formatting the 4 special pages in the book.”

In another email, Belichick addressed reports that he requested to have Hudson copied on every email sent to him. 

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“Jordon and I have both a personal & professional relationship,” Belchick wrote in the email. “This is not a secret. Jordon assists me with my personal media, which is why I asked UNC to forward media requests (E.G. CBS 60 Minutes) to her. Jordon has zero involvement in the UNC football program, beyond the degree that my personal media intersects with it.”

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson

North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson during the first half of a game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils at Dean E. Smith Center March 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C.  (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Belichick released a statement saying he was “surprised” about getting the questions about his relationship and that when Hudson had stepped in, she was doing her job. He went on to accuse CBS of creating a “false narrative” with so-called “selectively edited clips.”

CBS responded, disagreeing with Belichick’s version of events. 

In a separate interview with ESPN, Belichick insisted Hudson is not involved with UNC football.

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Why do coaches coach? Commander of USS Abraham Lincoln gives reason

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Why do coaches coach? Commander of USS Abraham Lincoln gives reason

Dan Keeler, the new captain of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, called up his football coaches from his days at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High earlier this week, along with his English teacher, to give them a salute for the impact they made on a teenager now in charge of one of the Navy’s most powerful ships.

The speech by Keeler on Wednesday in Coronado at a changing of the command ceremony offered the real reason coaches coach and teachers teach — to make a difference in a student’s life.

“I learned more about hard work, grit, determination and how to handle pain, honestly, from this group,” he said.

He recalled when Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney gave him a recommendation letter for the Naval Academy:
“Coach Rooney, when you handed me the letter, you said, ‘I think you’re going to be good at this,’ and you were right.”

Keeler added, “There were plenty of championships, but I don’t think that’s how these people measure success. I was a very mediocre backup quarterback and defensive back. If I was playing in a football game, we were winning by a lot.

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“Those metrics of winning and losing weren’t the only things that mattered. They were important. These educators took all the time to get the best out of their students and I was one of them. They saw something in me and chose to make a positive impact, and I am forever grateful.”

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Indiana Pacers blow out Thunder to set up first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016

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Indiana Pacers blow out Thunder to set up first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016

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It will come down to Game 7 to determine who will lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy, as the Indiana Pacers blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-91, on their home court to force a final game in the NBA Finals. 

The Pacers went into their final home game of the season in a must-win scenario – and the entire team, from the starting five to the bench, knew the assignment at hand, running away with the game and never letting Oklahoma City sniff a chance at a comeback. 

Now, for the first time since the Cleveland Cavaliers famous comeback against the Golden State Warriors in 2016, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. 

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Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) motions next to Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Heading into Game 6, the Pacers weren’t sure if their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, would be available after suffering a calf strain in Game 5 that noticeably hampered his performance. Haliburton was adamant he would be playing because of the situation for his Pacers, and that’s exactly what happened when it was time for tip-off. 

Haliburton looked like his normal self on the court, going 4-of-9, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, to tally 12 points with four assists, two steals and one rebound in the first half. 

PACERS ISSUE EMOTIONAL PLEA TO FANS AS THUNDER SEEK NBA FINALS CLINCHER: ‘ONE MORE TIME, INDIANA’

Pascal Siakam also poured in 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the half to help Indiana run it up to a 64-42 halftime lead, creating a gap they wouldn’t relinquish. 

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Guard Andrew Nembhard was feeling it from the floor as well, going 5-of-7 with a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe to score 17 points to go along with his four assists and three steals on the night. 

But once again, the Pacers won because of their stellar depth off the bench, which included the team’s leading scorer, Obi Toppin. 

Pascal Siakam celebrates on court

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) celebrates a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis.  (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Toppin, the former New York Knicks first-round pick, was raining three-pointers, making four of his seven attempts and going 6-fo-12 from the field overall to score 20 points. He also tallied six rebounds and two steals for the Pacers. 

Trusty point guard T.J. McConnell also had 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting for Indiana, while Aaron Nesmith added 10 points. As a team, 11 different players scored for Indiana in a game that needed contributions from everyone to keep the season alive. 

Meanwhile, the Thunder’s ailment in this one was turnovers. While the Pacers committed 11 turnovers for the game, they had just two to the Thunder’s 12 in the first half. Oklahoma City finished with 21 for the game, and eight of them came from league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

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Tyrese Haliburton reacts on court

Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Six of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 19, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

He didn’t have a bad night from the field, going 7-of-15 for 21 points with four rebounds and two assists. But he wasn’t careful with the ball, and the Pacers had 13 points off those turnovers. Indiana was also getting out in transition better than Oklahoma City with 22 fast-break points. 

In turn, the stage has been set for what’s bound to be a thrilling Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Sunday night. 

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