Charles Barkley Is Right: The WNBA Is Hating on Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark has been met with some scrutiny in the WNBA. 

The Indiana Fever are bad. She hasn’t been great. Fans have been critical of her play. Former WNBA stars, including Diana Taurasi, have publicly spewed hatred towards the league’s brightest star.

After LeBron James spoke out in support of WNBA No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark, Charles Barkley got in on the action on Wednesday night.

“You women out there, y'all are petty, man,” Barkley said. “Y'all should be thanking that girl for getting y’all private charters, all the money and visibility she’s bringing to the WNBA.”

This preseason, Clark was asked about having to fly commercial planes in the WNBA, something that she didn’t have to do at Iowa. She handled the question gracefully, but the clip went viral, and the WNBA quickly changed their policy, getting private jets for their teams.

That’s the Clark Effect unfolding in real time.

Barkley is right. Clark has made America care about the women’s game of basketball. She’s brought more eyeballs to the sport than anyone before her. She’s single handedly increased awareness and revenue so much, that she’s changing the lives of her peers. So it’s time for those peers to stop blatantly hating.

Of course, on the court, Clark is going to get her opponents’ best effort on a nightly basis. She’s been welcomed to the league with some hard fouls and aggressive defense, leading to high turnover numbers that weren’t a problem throughout her college career.

Despite some tough moments early in her rookie season, Clark is still averaging 17 points, four rebounds, and five assists per game. It’s not like she’s running around, getting cardio and wasting space like Anthony Bennett out there.

While she can expect tenacity from these women during the heat of battle, it does feel strange to endure all of this extra hate. She’s the reason we’re even talking about the WNBA.

While her career is not off to the perfect start on the court, let’s give her some damn time to navigate the professional waters and learn the game at this level with an inadequate supporting cast. Off the court, she needs to continue to receive flowers for her efforts in growing the game.

“Don’t be petty like dudes,” Barkley said. “She’s bringing all this money to the table and y’all are being petty.”