It’s safe to say Caitlin Clark has transformed the WNBA over the past few years, but she still doesn’t appear to be fully valued by some of her fellow players.
In the voting for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game, Clark found herself in a surprising position, ranking 11th among guards in the players’ vote, a result that sparked widespread controversy.
While many have criticized that ranking, others believe it was justified. One of the latest to weigh in is NBA analyst David Dennis.
Speaking on ESPN’s “First Take,” Dennis made it clear that he does not consider Clark one of the top four point guards in the WNBA at this stage. He argued that the voting process has been widely misunderstood.
“They didn’t say that she was the 11th-best guard in the WNBA. That’s not what happened,” Dennis said. “As you mentioned, a lot of people didn’t get ballots, a lot of people didn’t vote. But what they did, they voted for the top four guards in the league. That was what the All-Star ballot was. So people were voting for the top four.
“I don’t think that you can make a compelling argument that Caitlin Clark is a top-four guard in the WNBA. Like, nobody can at this point. That is why she was 11th. She got the 11th-most votes for being in the top four. So there is really no controversy about that.”
But Dennis wasn’t finished. He also took issue with Candace Parker suggesting that the players’ rankings were driven by jealousy or insecurity.
“I think what bothers me is when this is framed as some sort of petty jealousy or insecurity by these women in the WNBA, because that’s not what I’m seeing with Caitlin Clark,” Dennis said.
He argued that Clark is simply experiencing what happens whenever a young player enters the league with massive hype. Along with the attention and expectations inevitably comes backlash. Dennis even compared Clark’s situation to what Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Victor Wembanyama faced when they entered NBA, saying they all dealt with similar treatment early in their careers.
Stats Suggest Caitlin Clark Is Having Strong Season
Even after being ranked as only the 11th-best guard by her fellow players, Caitlin Clark is still head and shoulders above many of her peers in terms of production. She ranks fifth in the WNBA in scoring (20.5 points per game) and second in assists (7.9 per game).
Clark has missed time due to injuries, but that doesn’t change the fact that she has been extremely valuable to the Indiana Fever. If the Fever were in a stronger position in the standings, there’s a strong case that she’d be higher on the ranking list.
Read More:
ESPN Analyst Boldly Claims Paige Bueckers Has Been What Caitlin Clark Was Expected To Be
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