Caitlin Clark provided a new energy to the WNBA last season with her incredible rookie campaign. Clark took home the Rookie of the Year award and was named an All-Star in her first season, and fans showed up to support.
The Fever – and all 12 of the league’s teams – set attendance and viewership records as many fans followed the league for the first time. As women’s basketball continues to grow, one former WNBA champion is calling out an unfortunate narrative surrounding the soon-to-be second-year star.
Natasha Cloud, a WNBA champion, noted that the fouls Clark received during games were normal basketball plays, and that those who were looking to find a deeper meaning were doing so for nefarious reasons.
“It’s just a part of the game. There was no targeting, there was no nothing. That narrative that got spun into, ‘Oh, the vets hate the rookies. The rookies hate the vets. The vets are going after certain players,’ it’s all bull-[expletive],” Cloud said during an appearance on “The Pivot” podcast.
“If I’m just going to be frank, it’s all bull-[expletive]. What it is is racism,” Cloud said.
Cloud said that no one was trying to single out Clark with hard fouls – especially not because she is white – and called her “one of the best players that’s in this league” and a “franchise player.”
“The craziness that came with the new fandom was rooted in something other than fandom, and I think that was very evident across the board,” Cloud added, echoing a point that other players brought up last season.
“In a lot of ways, it has not been about basketball.”
Angel Reese and Sue Bird made similar comments last season as Clark and other players dealt with backlash from so-called “fans” creating narratives and agendas about the game.
As women’s basketball continues to grow, the game will bring in new fans. The players and those around the game are making it clear that they won’t have their sport co-opted by those who are looking to sow dissension and discord through racism.
We’ll see how Clark and the other former rookies deal with their second WNBA season when the new league year gets underway with Opening Night in May.