“Her influence is insane, bro.” Whether it is Minnesota Lynx player Courtney Williams or Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, they all agree with the fact that Caitlin Clark has revolutionized the W in more positive and yielding ways. She has influenced the ticket sales prices, television ratings, and overall viewerships of the league to a great extent.  So when it came down to the 2025 All-Star voting, one formidable name was fixed on the list: Caitlin Clark.

This season’s voting process has jolted the W from within. Despite Indiana Fever hosting the games for the first time in the history of the exhibition event, the voting process saw Fever fans misusing their rights to a great degree. Fans could vote using an email address, without undergoing a verification process. This vulnerability opened doors for exploitation, as Caitlin Clark’s devoted fanbase allegedly used public email addresses of predominant media celebrities and flooded their mails with votes in her favor.

And the result of the voting is loud and clear. The official WNBA website took to X (former Twitter) and shared an update surrounding the 2024 ROTY. They shared a poster of the upcoming All-Star event, featuring Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark.  The post read, “Introducing your 2025 @ATT WNBA All-Star Captains Representing the EAST: Caitlin Clark @IndianaFever. Representing the WEST: Napheesa Collier @MinnesotaLynx.”

Leading the All-time favorites list with 1,293,526- the highest votes in the history of the league, Clark was declared the obvious captain ahead of the event. On the other hand, with a total of 1,176,020 votes in her belt, Collier was termed the captain of the opposing team. While the Fever’s popularity influenced the ballot in her favor, her teammates were not far behind.

“The Fever’s whole starting five was on that list. The whole starting five. Even folks who came off their bench were on that list, bro. That’s crazy, bro,” Courtney Williams observed. And boy is she right! Fever’s Aliyah Boston was third on the list with 3, 446,961 votes in her belt. On the other hand, Kelsey Mitchell (7, 277,664) and Lexi Hull (9, 217,438) too secured top 10 spots in the list. As Clark’s looming popularity landed them an access in the games, fans could not stop but wonder the fate of the reigning rookie.

Fans erupt after Clark’s recent All-Star development

The recent developments ahead of the 2025 All-Star event was enough to cause a stir in the WNBA community. Well, the Indiana Fever star’s blueprint run was halted again. She was recently benched after an MRI scan detected a left groin injury. While the news of her injury jolted the team’s locker room once again, the latest captaincy call has fans in splits over the league’s decision.

“She missed 7 out of 18 games this season. She is, no doubt, one of the best players in the league but shouldn’t this be a factor!? It’s almost half of the games played so far,” a user questioned. While Clark is undoubtedly a formidable force on the hardwood, Fever fans are not satisfied with the league’s decision.

No wonder the news of Clark’s captaincy was not received well by the fans and followers of the W. On the other hand, another user took a matter-of-fact approach and quipped, “Ngl I’m a CC fan but she don’t deserve to be captain tbh.” Despite averaging 18.2 points, 5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists in the regular games so far, it is too soon for the athlete to return to the hardwood. Let alone lead the entire team.

Having said that, the WNBA has chosen both athletes, Clark and Collier, as team captains purely based on the voting system. While her record-breaking presence deserves an applause and showcases her dominating and MVP-worthy status in the league, Clark’s questionable playing status smells trouble for the All-Star teams ahead of the event. A fellow user commented, “… is Caitlin Clark even gonna play in the ASG??”

After sitting out 5 straight games owing to a left quad strain and 2 consecutive matches due to the latest injury, it does make one wonder whether Clark truly deserves a crown. “Is caitlin clark going to play in it,” another user asked. Given her current condition, this is a very logical question that has been raised by most fans. Maybe, she will. Maybe, she won’t. Who knows?

Moreover, Clark delivered a standout performance during the 2024 All-Star games. With an average of 10 assists, she successfully broke the rookie record for the most dimes. Representing team USA, Clark set the rhythm for the team and clinched 4 points on 2-for-9 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal for the roster. Her court vision and shooting prowess cemented the reigning rookie as the rising star in the W.

“WNBA ”fanbase” has grown so rapidly selections are now: 1. The only female player new “fans” know by name. 2. Whoever has the most beautiful portrait in the voting app. Congrats to the winners, and to the WNBA for all of the new fans but there were far better alternatives,” a verified user wrote. The person highlighted the harsh reality of Fever guard’s popularity. 

While the league has been gaining traction and more eyes for a while now, was the selection of Clark a biased decision based on the host city? Or as one of the social media users pointed out: is the league neglecting better alternatives for a team captain? While we have promising veterans and rookies across the WNBA, was Clark an apt choice for the position? Guess we’ll never know.