Caitlin Clark made her regular season WNBA debut this week, much to the chagrin of some of her haters around the league.
Despite bringing more attention and fanfare to women’s basketball than it had ever had before, some players and coaches seem to really dislike Clark.
And they don’t hide the reason why.
Speaking to the Associated Press, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces made the case that Clark’s popularity is due to in large part to her being white.
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“I think it’s a huge thing,” she said.
“I think a lot of people may say it’s not about black and white, but to me, it is. It really is because you can be top notch at what you are as a black woman, but yet maybe that’s something that people don’t want to see.”
Wilson didn’t stop there, though.
“They don’t see it as marketable, so it doesn’t matter how hard I work,” she continued.
“It doesn’t matter what we all do as black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug. That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.”
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Shortly after she made those comments, Nike handed Wilson a signature shoe deal.
On Tuesday night, following her official WNBA debut, Clark fired back at Wilson in the classiest way imaginable.
“I think there’s opportunities for every single player in women’s basketball. I think the more opportunities we can give across the board, that’s what’s going to elevate women’s basketball,” Clark said.
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“It doesn’t need to be one or two players, and I think that even goes back to college. I think we can … the parity in women’s basketball is what’s making more people want to come and watch it. I think the more you spread the love, show people, show their talents, show their teams, that’s just going to continue to elevate it. So, I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Will Clark be able to continue to be a beacon of kindness and classiness in the face of relentless criticism over her race? Time will tell.
