Caitlin Clark became one of the most talked about people in the world of sports in 2024, for better and worse. The WNBA’s Rookie of the Year played a major role in the league’s surge in popularity, and her performances and various controversial moments from her rookie season became A-block topics for sports talk television — and even regular news outlets.
For all the positives of Clark’s rise to superstardom, both for her and the league, she has also found herself at the center of various culture war arguments, propped up as an avatar of the Great White Hope in a league of predominantly Black women. When asked about it, Clark has made clear that people using her to push negative agendas is “not acceptable,” but issues have persisted and some of her colleagues in the WNBA feel more can be done, both by the league and by Clark.
In a recent profile by TIME after being named TIME’s Athlete of the Year, Clark addressed those issues and said there needs to be a more concerted effort to “elevate Black women” in the WNBA and noted she has to play a part in doing that.
Clark is cognizant of the racial underpinnings of her stardom. “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” says Clark. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Clark also addressed the rivalry with Angel Reese, which she points to as being a forced, “fabricated” rivalry dating back to their college days. It started when Reese’s LSU squad beat Clark’s Iowa team for the national title, with an iconic photo of Reese pointing to her ring finger as Clark left the court, and has continued through a rematch in last year’s Elite 8 won by the Hawkeyes and a number of contentious battles between the Fever and Sky once they entered the WNBA. Both players have insisted there’s no bad blood between them, with Clark noting to TIME that she’s not sure how they can even be rivals given they don’t ever go head-to-head on the court since they play different positions.
“I don’t get that at all,” says Clark. “We’re not best friends, by any means, but we’re very respectful of one another. Yes, we have had tremendous battles. But when have I ever guarded her? And when has she guarded me?” She downplays Reese’s gesture. “I didn’t think it was taunting,” says Clark. “It really didn’t bother me. It’s just like, ‘Why don’t you talk about them winning? Or the incredible run that we went on that nobody would have thought we would have ever gone on?’ The only thing people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and made up, and then that has continued to be the case ever since.”
Despite Clark’s insistence there is nothing there, the Fever and Sky will meet five times this coming season, including in the opener, so the conversation about those two isn’t going away any time soon. In the meantime, Clark is still figuring out how to navigate superstardom and the fact that, whether she wants it or not, being the face of the WNBA comes with the unenviable responsibility of pushing the league and sport as a whole forward. That means being asked a lot about big picture topics and some uncomfortable conversations, which Clark at least seems to be recognizing she has to be a bit more engaged in.