There have been several theories and narratives brought up to explain A’ja Wilson’s last-minute withdrawal from Team USA’s FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup roster. One of them, which former ESPN host Linda Cohn appeared to champion, is the fact that Wilson’s exit could be connected to the massive media attention surrounding Caitlin Clark. That is one theory that South Carolina legend head coach Dawn Staley clearly finds quite questionable. And she made sure to air her feelings by responding to Cohn’s video, which she shared on X.

“Linda please!” coach Staley wrote.

Cohn’s video, which sparked the response from coach Staley, raised several questions around A’ja Wilson’s withdrawal from the team, especially with the reason being an undisclosed health issue. Cohn also pointed out that she considered Caitlin Clark to be already commanding the spotlight at the World Cup, and suggested that Wilson might have wanted to avoid dealing with the attention.

“So is there any part of A’Ja that didn’t want to spend the next couple of weeks watching the World Cup become the Caitlin Clark show? Because let’s face it, Caitlin walks into a building, and the attention follows her. She’s already getting enormous attention in Berlin. Reuters just described her as embracing the global spotlight, heading into a World Cup debut. That’s just one of many reports.”

“Could A’Ja simply not want to deal with that? Could there be some insecurity, dare I say could she be thinking, I’m the four-time MVP; I’m the best player in the world? Why does everything have to be about Caitlin Clark? Maybe, maybe she’s thinking about that, or maybe this has absolutely nothing to do with Caitlin Clark.”

But when the specific health issue hasn’t been disclosed, and one of the biggest stars in American basketball decides to not represent Team USA at the last minute, while her biggest MVP competition does show up, people are going to ask questions. And they are asking them,” she added.

A’ja Wilson officially announced her withdrawal from Team USA on Monday, just four days before the tournament tipped off on Friday. According to USA Basketball, the reason cited for her withdrawal was health-related. Neither the national federation nor the Las Vegas Aces provided a highly detailed or specific diagnosis. And of course, the announcement caught fans completely off guard because just three days prior, Wilson had started and played 30 minutes for the Aces.

Other analysts, like No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show host Sabrina Merchant, explored a possible reason for Wilson’s withdrawal. Merchant also speculated that the back injury wasn’t the sole reason behind the defending WNBA MVP pulling out four days ahead of the biggest international event in basketball.

My understanding is this is sort of a load management situation where the World Cup, if you get to the final, is six games in 10 days. Six games in 10 days. I’m going to repeat that. That’s a lot… So that is a lot, a lot of load, a lot of stress on somebody who has a back issue.”

However, despite her absence, Caitlin Clark and Team USA actually got off to a strong start at the World Cup, opening the tournament with a commanding 94-61 victory over China. And just like Cohn suggested, Caitlin Clark is getting significant attention at the World Cup so far, especially with her performance. The Indiana Fever star delivered a record-breaking 14 points and 11 assists in the victory, with her performance even earning her the Player of the Game award.

While Cohn’s statement definitely does seem like a far-fetched narrative, there’s actually no doubt as to the level of attention that Clark commands, as proven by the enormous viewership and media attention she has generated in the WNBA. Although had Wilson been present, it’s quite likely that she would also occupy a significant place in whatever success Team USA achieves in this tournament.