WNBA rookie phenom Caitlin Clark has completed her first professional season and is already making an undeniable impact on the league. In just one year, Clark has amassed countless new followers and is credited with helping the league break attendance and television ratings records.
But Clark doesn't approve of all of the league's new followers.
In his farewell press conference Friday after the Indiana Fever's season-ending playoff loss to the Connecticut Sun, Clark said the WNBA had “recognized any racist, derogatory or threatening comments” directed at players, coaches or other officials. He was asked about his release of a statement condemning the league.
The statement came after Sun forward Alyssa Thomas accused Fever fans of racism.
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Clark criticized WNBA fans who make biased comments about players.
“Those aren't fans. They're trolls,” Clark said.
“No one in our league should face racist, disrespectful or hurtful comments or threats of any kind.”
Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas points directly at Indiana Fever fans after team wins playoff matchup, teammate DeJonai Carrington receives email filled with racial slurs He revealed this on Instagram.
“We've been professional from start to finish, but we've never been called anything like the things we've been shouting about on social media, and there's no room for that,” Thomas said. “Basketball is going in a great direction, but no, we don't want fans talking down to us or calling us racial names.”
Race and racism have been a frequent topic of discussion in recent years in relation to Clark's presence and the attention it has brought to women's basketball.
Since his rise to stardom, Clark has continued to receive racist comments from fans and prophets.
ESPN's Pat McAfee called Clark a “white guy” on his nationally broadcast show on June 3, and later apologized. In May, “The View” host Sunny Hostins said on an episode of the show that part of Clark's popularity was due to “white privilege.”
Inside the impact of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on men's basketball
Caitlin Clark, 22, of the Indiana Fever makes a basket during Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena on September 25, 2024 in Uncasville, CT. Head towards. (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, several of Clark's opponents, including longtime college and professional rival Angel Reese, have claimed they have faced racist attacks from Clark's fans.
On the Sept. 5 episode of her podcast, Reese directly accused Clark's fans of being racist and attacking her online.
“I think it's really just justice for the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, and now the Indiana fans. They're running for her and I respectfully respect that. But sometimes… It can be very disrespectful, and I think there are a lot of opinions out there that say, “It's racist when it comes down to it,'' Reese said.
Reese claims to have been the victim of widespread online harassment, which first escalated when she and her college team, LSU, defeated Clark and Iowa in the 2023 NCAA women's basketball championship game. As LSU held a big lead in the final minutes of that game, Reese pointed to his ring finger in a now-infamous photo, angering some Clark fans. Reese said on the podcast that moment “changed my life forever.”
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena on September 25, 2024 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (years old) responds during the first half. (Paul Rutherford/Imagn Images)
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy reposted a video of the clip on X with the caption, “Classless piece —.” This post has been viewed 79.5 million times on X at the time of publication. Portnoy then made similar attacks against Reese throughout the 2024 tournament.
When Reese and LSU lost to Clark and Iowa in that year's Final Four, Reese cried in the press box about the threats he received last year. Rees' teammate Haley Van Lith accused Rees of racism in his treatment at the same press conference.
“Many of the people making comments like that are racist towards my teammates,” Van Lith said.
DeJonai Carrington, the Sun player who poked Clark in the eye with his nail during Connecticut's Game 1 win over Fever Sunday, previously posted an X post in June in which Clark called out racism among his own fans. He criticized him for not doing more.
“Damn. You’re insane that you don’t care about your name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, and the intersectionality of it all.” No,” Carrington wrote. “We all look at the (s—). We all have a platform. We all have a voice, we all carry weight. Silence is a luxury is.”
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