Why all the Caitlin Clark Jabs Are Good For The WNBA

At this point, it is as obvious as water being wet that many WNBA players really don’t like Caitlin Clark, which, in the long run, should be good for the WNBA.

The latest anti-Clark display flared up when Chicago Sky Chennedy Carter threw a shoulder into an unsuspecting Clark, knocking Clark to the ground while Angel Reese, an old rival from college, cheered the move on from the bench.

Ultimately, the dislike for Caitlin is a combination of jealousy and good old-fashioned rookie hazing. That being said, you would think her teammates would be taking a more proactive response to all of the rough play being targeted at Clark.

To be clear, don’t feel bad for Clark. She is a tough, trash-talking badass who will likely have the last laugh. She has won at every level she’s played at and certainly has demonstrated that she understands that she is being treated like any other high-profile rookie in any sport. Just go back and watch what happened to Michael Jordan during his rookie season.

Clark appears to be taking the jabs like a professional, and I’m sure she will figure out what she needs to do to silence the haters in the WNBA. 

In a video post on Instagram, former NBA player Matt Barnes took direct shots at Clark’s teammates, who did nothing to defend her after the shoulder check from Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter occurred.

Carter, who is like the WNBA’s version of Patrick Beverly, certainly had a reason to shoulder-check Clark; just go back and watch what Clark did a few plays before Carter knocked her down.

Rough play in basketball is part of the game, and the incident was not anything new, but Barnes's points about Clark's lack of team support were spot on.   

“I mean, throughout the season, she’s been getting beat up. Hard screens, elbows, knocked down,” Barnes said. “It is what it is; she’s not the first, she won’t be the last. My issue and my question is, Where the f–k are her teammates at? Where y’all at? Where are the rest of the Indiana Fever at?

“I’ve seen a couple of girls smirk when she’s got knocked down, half-ass to pick her up. Like, y’all supposed to protect the asset, protect the star. And although this is a team, you always protect your star. I was someone who protected the stars. You f–k with Kobe, [Chris Paul], Blake [Griffin], the list goes on, it’s going to be a problem.

The fact is that the WNBA’s efforts to mainstream Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are working, but at the expense of Clark's on-court performance. Did you know that Fever has already played 11 times in the first 20 days of the WNBA season while defending WNBA Champions The Las Vegas Aces have just played 6.

In her last four games, Caitlin has scored 30, 20, and 11 points, but she scored just 3 points in her last game on Sunday. Clearly, the number of games combined with the on- and off-the-court pressure has taken a toll on her rookie season.

Clark, whose next game is on Friday against the Washington Mystics, now has a chance to finally catch her breath and focus back on the job of performing on the court.

Just like Jordan, the hype around Clark's rookie season has caused an extra layer of in-game rookie hazing, which for the WNBA is keeping a really bad basketball team front and center in the media eye.