For all the talk of WNBA players against Caitlin Clark in year 1, support from the strongest of voices hasn’t escaped her. We are talking from Tamika Catchings and Chiney Ogwumike to Nancy Lieberman. “[Clark’s] numbers have proven it, her game has proven it. And I would really implore some of the guards to just, you know, celebrate each other,” the OKC Thunder broadcaster would voice. Now, as Sophie Cunningham’s revelation brings up the conversation all over again, another icon’s out there, calling for recognition.

Cheryl Miller is one of those voices that just hits differently. A legend during her time at USC and easily one of the greatest college athletes ever, Miller never got the chance to play in the WNBA, thanks to a knee injury in the late ’80s and the league arriving too late in 1996. But that didn’t stop her from staying deeply involved in the game– whether it was coaching, broadcasting, or mentoring. And when it comes to Caitlin Clark? Cheryl’s been one of her loudest supporters.

Cheryl Miller’s not afraid to say what everyone’s thinking — and when it comes to the Fever sensation, she’s done biting her tongue. On the ALL THE SMOKE podcast, Miller called out the critics who fail to acknowledge Clark’s impact head-on. “I was like ‘C’mon, you big dummies,’” she said about some of her own peers coming for Clark. “Is she getting hyped? Yes. But she was in the backyard. She was putting in the same time, sometimes maybe more than you were. I can’t fault her for what she was given.”

And she didn’t stop there. “As much as she was given, you can’t tell me if that door was swung the other way where she didn’t live up to the hype, c’mon, folks are still waiting for her to fall!” And then came the knockout: “So with that being said, you big dummies, you getting paid now! Everybody now has an opportunity to pull up their chair and have a seat.”

As for the noise? “I don’t follow on social media and I could really care less, because I’ve been delivered from being a people pleaser and what you think about me.” That’s Cheryl being Cheryl — real, unfiltered, and protective of the next generation.

The conversation comes around the time Cunningham admitted the 23-year-old had to face a little more than what rest of the rookies did and asked people to give credit where it’s due. We have seen the ‘not a single player league’ hashtags go around. We have seen the ask for the credit to be distributed across the league; namely during Time’s Athlete of the Year. The ignorance has been evident, and every time it pops up, you have names like Miller or Lieberman shutting them down with facts and fire.

While Ogwumike said Clark just wasn’t the one moving the needle, but a needle herself, Lieberman got into a disagreement with Sheryl Swoopes. But Clark could care little about what others think of her presence right now.

Because lately, the Fever guard just hasn’t been able to catch a break. She was officially ruled out of Friday’s game against the Wings with a right groin injury — the same one that’s already kept her out for six straight games. The injury happened in the final minute of Indiana’s win over Connecticut back on July 15, and it’s been yet another bump in what’s become a frustrating, injury-riddled sophomore season.

Crazy thing is, before this year, Clark had never missed a single college or pro game. But now, she’s missed 15 of the Fever’s 27 games. Still, Indiana’s hanging in there—8-7 without—and sitting in sixth place with a 15-12 record. The hope? This time off gives Clark the space she needs to heal up fully and come back strong for the stretch run and the playoffs.

Cheryl Miller weighs in on Caitlin Clark–Angel Reese rivalry

Cheryl Miller is now weighing in on one of the most electric storylines in basketball today: the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. “I understand the narratives and the storylines, but at some point, can we just focus on the fact that Caitlin is a baller?” Miller said on the All Facts No Brakes podcast with Keyshawn Johnson and Candace Parker. “She’s a dog — she wants to compete. The same goes for Angel. Her game is constantly evolving, as it should, and they both just want to win. That should be enough.”

While they play totally different positions and bring their own unique flair to the game, Clark and Reese have been kept being pitted against each other like it’s the only storyline that matters. Miller sees the double standard loud and clear.

“You had Magic and Larry, who competed in college but had championships. So, Magic won. Larry didn’t. It’s kind of like the same thing, a little, with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark,” she said. “But the difference is, with the men, it’s a rivalry and it’s great theater. The narrative is always different with the women. We’re either petty, or jealous, envious… We don’t have to be kumbaya. It’s the narrative by the media that bothers me.”

Candace Parker didn’t hold back either. “I think that the narrative behind women’s sports is so interesting, because they want to judge you for everything other than basketball — every element of life, how you act, what you say, how you dress, who you love,” she said. With fans and media stirring up drama from every angle, Miller and Parker are asking for just one thing: keep it about the game. “I could care less what people say, as long as it doesn’t dictate who they are… keep it in between the lines,” said Miller.