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WNBA star Caitlin Clark says people weaponizing her name is ‘disappointing’

Caitlin Clark looks on during an Indiana Fever game against the New York Liberty.Catalina Fragoso/NBAE/Getty Images

CNN —

As she adjusts to life in the WNBA, rookie phenom Caitlin Clark is also having to navigate becoming a lightning rod for societal discourse.

Since bursting onto the WNBA scene after a record-breaking college career, Clark has found herself being used by controversial figures on social media to push their own agendas in American culture wars.

On Thursday, the Indiana Fever guard was asked by a reporter to clarify comments she’d made earlier in the day, when she said she “can’t control” people weaponizing her name in talking about racism and misogyny.

“It’s disappointing,” replied Clark ahead of the Indiana Fever’s home game against the Atlanta Dream.

“I think everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect. So, people should not be using my name to push those agendas. It’s disappointing.

“It’s not acceptable … this is a league I grew up admiring and wanting to be a part of. Like some of the women of this league were my biggest idols and role models growing up and helped me want to achieve this moment right here I get to play in every single night,” added Clark.

Clark dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the Seattle Storm.Steph Chambers/Getty Images

While she has helped attract thousands more fans to the WNBA this season, discourse around the 22-year-old Clark often focuses on topics away from the court.

Her rivalry with fellow star Angel Reese, for example, has triggered discourse about race in the US.

Earlier this month, Reese said of the rivalry with Clark: “People are pulling up to games, we got celebrities coming to games, sold out arenas, just because of [the 2023 NCAA championship game].

“And just looking at that, I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role, and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates.”

Reese continued: “I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me too,’ and I want y’all to realize that. “

‘It’s not something I can control’

Earlier on Thursday, Clark was asked whether people using her name in the culture wars was something that bothered her.

“It’s not something I can control,” Clark had initially told reporters. “So, I don’t put too much time into thinking about things like that.”

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The response grew the ire of Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, who wrote a social media post Thursday criticising Clark, adding that “silence is a luxury.”

“Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts,” Carrington said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Clark has had a mixed start to her WNBA career so far, showing flashes of her brilliance but struggling initially with the physicality of the professional game.

The Indiana Fever are set to play Chicago Sky in its next game on Sunday, where Clark will once again reignite her on-court rivalry with Reese.

In an interview with USA Today on Wednesday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league was “thrilled with the rivalries that are being built.’’

“She obviously captures a viewer we haven’t had before, which is great,’’ said Engelbert of Clark.

“We’re thrilled with Caitlin and the generational players that have come in,” added Engelbert, who referenced the play of rookies Reese and Cameron Brink in her USA Today interview.

“Look, apathy is the death of a brand,” continued Engelbert. “Nobody’s apathetic about the WNBA because we’ve brought in so many new fans into what we call the fan funnel this year.”

HOT NEWS:

ANGEL REESE SETS WNBA ROOKIE RECORD AMID CAITLIN CLARK CONTROVERSY AS THE CHICAGO SKY BREAK THEIR LOSING STREAK

Angel Reese broke a WNBA record by securing her seventh consecutive double-double on Thursday as the Chicago Sky beat the Dallas Wings, 83-72.

Parlaying her 16-point performance with a season-high 18 rebounds, Reese helped Chicago break a four-game skid and set a new record for most consecutive double-doubles by a rookie in the WNBA.

Reese surpassed Tina Charles and Cindy Brown for the record.

‘It’s super exciting for myself,’ Reese told ESPN postgame. ‘I try to give myself some grace and tell myself I’m doing a good job, but I have so much more to grow, and I’m just excited to be in this league.’

While breaking the standard for first-year players, the former LSU star is also en route to shattering the overall WNBA record of 12 straight double-doubles held by Candace Parker.

Angel Reese broke the record for most consecutive double-doubles by a rookie in the WNBA

Reese had 16 points with a season-high 18 rebounds to help Chicago break a four-game skid

Reese’s record-setting performance comes a week after her controversial play and remarks after losing to Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on June 16.

In the third quarter of the matchup, Reese hit Clark in the head while attempting to block a layup from her college rival. Clark fell to the ground, visibly shaken, as Reese got charged with a flagrant 1.

Clark would get the last laugh as she recorded 23 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists to lead Indiana to a 91-83 win. The rookie sensation also went up 2-0 against Reese after a 71-70 victory over Chicago in their first professional meeting.

Postgame, Reese credited the excessive physicality towards Clark to her team playing hard. However, she received plenty of backlash for accusing referees of having a ‘special whistle’ working against her team.

Reese’s seventh straight double-double comes a week after losing to Caitlin Clark and Indiana

Reese was charged with a flagrant 1 after hitting Clark in the face in their loss to the Fever

 

 

‘I think we were playing really hard,’

Reese said. ‘I think we went up really strong a lot of times, and we didn’t get a lot of calls.’

‘And going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made,’ she continued. ‘I guess some people got a special whistle.’

Personalities such as Jason Whitlock, Skip Bayless, and Dave Portnoy led the charge against Reese. The Sky rookie was called delusional and jealous and got told to ‘shut the f*** up’ after her remarks.

Nevertheless, Reese continued to be a spark for Chicago as she consistently put up double-doubles to help them climb out of their slump. After completing the milestone, Reese gave a nod to former Chicago star Sylvia Fowles, who mentored her in Baton Rogue as a Tiger.

Reese’s record-breaking performance came in a 83-72 win over the Dallas Wings

 

‘I love Sylvia, she was a great person to me and a great mentor to me when I was at LSU,’ Reese said. ‘Being able to have that relationship with her at LSU, I know she’s going to be super proud of me.’

‘I mean [obviously] I just want to do whatever it takes to win, and rebounding is what I do to win,’ Reese added.

Reese is averaging 10.8 rebounds per game through 15 games this season and only trails two-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.