Reese's remarks come just days after her first game against Clark -- which definitely wasn't without controversy -- as Angel's teammate Chennedy Carter took a cheap shot at the number one overall pick, resulting in a flagrant foul, and a bunch of criticism.

The ire wasn't only directed at Carter ... Reese also got her fair share for her reaction to the hard foul. She was asked about what happened during Saturday's game.

"It all started from the national championship game," Reese said after practice on Monday, adding, "I've been dealing with this for two years now."

Reese explained she will always be the "bad guy" ... and she's okay with that.

'I'll take that [role] because look where women's basketball is. People are talkin' about women's basketball that you would never think to talk about women's basketball."

But, Reese -- the number 7 overall pick -- wants to make sure everyone understands the popularity surge in the WNBA is NOT only because of Clark ... like many people have said.

"It's not just because of one person. It's because of me too and I want you to realize that," Reese said. "It's not just because of one person."

"A lot of us have done so much for this game ... there are so many great players in this league that have deserved this for a really really long time and luckily, it's coming now."

Carter also met with the media, addressing the dirty play for the first time (she refused to answer questions about Clark over the weekend). Despite the backlash, she has no regrets.

"I think at the end of the day, I'm a competitor," the shooting guard said ... "I'm gonna compete no matter who you are and no matter who's in front of me.

Carter -- a former 1st round pick -- also said the racism narrative going around is bogus, reiterating the incident was strictly physical basketball.