Caitlin Clark has predictably been the hottest topic of the young WNBA season thus far and the Las Vegas Aces are the latest team to chime in. Star player A'ja Wilson and coach Becky Hammon specifically shared their thoughts as they come off their first loss of the season against the Phoenix Mercury.
Both women assured that they have no ill will for Clark ahead of their matchup with the Indiana Fever on Saturday, via KTNV's Alex Eschelman.
“We love Caitlin Clark,” Hammon said. “There is no…I think she's amazing. I watched every time I possibly could. And our league loves her. This has nothing to do…We're just doing our job. We're gonna show up. Whoever's on the other team is on the other team, we don't really care. We're gonna show up and do us. I think this narrative of everybody hating on Caitlin Clark…And even the black-and-white thing. Knock it off. It's not there. It's not there. So shut down the noise…”
Hammon was responding to a recent narrative that Clark gets more appreciation because she's white.
“And by the way, what is she, 22? She's a 22-year-old woman,” Hammon continued. “With a lot of pressure, she's not perfect, she's a rookie in this league. Back off. Back off.”
Clark has been the biggest driver of women's basketball's recent rise in popularity, which comes with a large weight of responsibility. The NCAA all-time scoring leader has been the center of controversy simply for being a great basketball player.
Wilson shared similarly supportive comments.
“She's learning and growing just like everyone else,” Wilson said. “People don't give her a chance, this is growth. We tell our rookies every single day, this is new. You're coming into a whole new world and starting over. The questions are only annoying because it's like she's young, she's a rookie. Y'all keep asking us these questions as if she's a grown-a** woman that's been in this league for years, like…No.”
Wilson went on to express her fatigue with the subject, a sentiment undoubtedly shared by many in the basketball world.
“She's doing her job, we're doing ours, and at the end of the day, that's how we grow, that's how we get better,” Wilson continued. “I'm just exhausted over the conversation 'cause I know she's exhausted, I can only imagine.”
What will it take for the media to stop putting Clark at the center of controversy?
This won't be the last time the Aces are asked about Clark
In today's era, where online content and social media engagement are king, the media is at the mercy of the people, and the people tend to be most interested in drama. Until that stops, Clark's name won't stop getting thrown around in every controversial angle and story possible.
Friday's interview came 12 days after Wilson had claimed that Clark's race is a significant factor in her popularity, via AP's Kyle Hightower.
“I think it’s a huge thing. I think a lot of people may say it’s not about Black and white, but to me, it is,” Wilson said. “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.”
It's hard to argue with the fact that Black people continue to get the short end of the stick in race relations. However, Wilson at least made it clear that she doesn't have anything against Clark personally, and the Aces star's previous comments were more on a general scale.
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