WNBA Faces Challenge Embracing Caitlin Clark Amid Player Resentment

The WNBA struggled to build on last season's momentum after injuries limited Caitlin Clark to 13 games. League partners count on her return as the season starts Friday night. The Indiana Fever will have all 44 regular-season games aired nationally, a first in WNBA history.

The heavy TV schedule points to the league's push to feature Clark as its top star. Players' willingness to go along remains in doubt.

Clark drew less notice in 2025 because of her short stint on court. Other players kept targeting her with bullying, subtweets and harassment. Some believe her fame stems solely from being a straight white woman in a league of Black LGBTQ women.

Talk shows have amplified that view. ESPN analyst Lawrencia Moten said this week that Clark lacks skill and the Fever play tougher without her. Moten appeared alongside Monica McNutt, who last year blamed racial bias for young girls' support of Clark.

"Caitlin represented, and again, some of this to me probably is not fair to her because it was not anything that she said or was truly based on her personality, but she was a white girl from the middle of America," McNutt said of Clark's appeal to young fans.

OutKick asked McNutt for comment at the time. She did not reply.

Clark's teammate Sophie Cunningham stands out for grasping that Clark's rise lifts everyone. Angel Reese, DiJonai Carrington and Chennedy Carter gained notice as Clark's rivals last season through cheap shots, hard fouls and subtweets.

Radio host Dan Patrick noted Reese's pattern. "[Reese’s] attention, her notoriety is based off Caitlin Clark because she wins the national title, the first thing she does is mock Caitlin Clark," he said. "And then she doesn’t even celebrate with her teammates. So she’s made it personal with Caitlin Clark. Then she’s played off of that."

Reese also pushed two race hoaxes, one about a fan and one about a man at a hotel.

Such resentment boosts social media buzz but harms the league's image. It portrays the WNBA as amateurish and fueled by grudges.

Stars like Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey lifted their sports into the mainstream. The WNBA has Clark at that level but must promote her rather than sideline her over racial concerns.