Is Caitlin Clark a target in the WNBA? That one question has sparked endless debate across the basketball world ever since she entered the league in 2024. But after everything that unfolded between Clark and Alyssa Thomas on June 24, this narrative spread like wildfire. And while many fans believe there’s enough evidence to label the Fever star a target, former ESPN analyst Cari Champion sees it very differently.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“It is a rite of passage, and it is a sign of respect. And for someone who doesn’t know the game, for you to use certain words, we gotta be careful with our words,” she said after former New York City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli argued that CC has become a repeated target around the league.
“She’s not getting beaten, she’s not being bullied, no one’s pulling her hair, no one’s telling her she can’t come out and play with them. That is a sign of respect. If I go at you because you’re supposed to be a superstar, you’re supposed to take it. Ask LeBron, ask Michael Jordan, ask the greats. It’s a sign of respect. No one’s bullying her.”
Her perspective definitely stands in stark contrast to the narrative that is currently dominating every conversation around the WNBA. But it’s also not the first time Champion has challenged popular opinions surrounding Caitlin Clark.
Earlier this season, the CNN analyst revealed she had faced significant backlash on social media after sharing what she described as “a basketball opinion” about the Fever star.
“Some of her fans are so unhinged, and I think it speaks to a larger issue of what’s happening in our world today. It is a microcosm of a bigger problem that we have with this hatred of black vs. white and being so polarized.”
But there have still been incidents that have only strengthened fans’ belief that jealousy toward Caitlin Clark exists within the league.
The most recent example of that came during the WNBA All-Star voting, where Clark finished eleventh among guards in the players’ vote despite being ranked among the top three by both the fans and media. WNBA legend Candace Parker even called out those voters.
There is no denying that Caitlin Clark is one of the league’s biggest stars and one of its best guards. And that’s exactly why this debate has become so polarizing. One side sees a superstar earning the “respect” that comes with being the player everyone wants to beat. The other sees the repeated incidents as evidence that she’s treated differently.
Now, whichever side people fall on, one thing is certain: the conversation continues to take attention away from the basketball itself.