Many have labeled Caitlin Clark the “face of the WNBA” because of her mainstream popularity. This has sparked a debate as some see A’ja Wilson as the one who should bear that moniker, including NBC Sports’ Natalie Esquire. Others, including NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also do not view Clark as the face of the league.
Kareem, best known for leading the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers to NBA titles, weighed in on the “face of the WNBA” debate on July 13 and said he does not believe it is Caitlin Clark.
“Clark is a very good, possibly even a great player. But calling any one player the face of the league, absent the sort of on-court and cross-platform dominance of a Michael Jordan or a LeBron James, is an insult to an awful lot of great players,” he said.
This soon had many others rush in, including sports YouTuber KC of the Behind the Line YouTube channel, who believes A’ja Wilson is not “face of the WNBA” material either.
“Aja Wilson isn’t the face of the city of Las Vegas…much less the face of the WNBA” he wrote.
Clark had been gathering a lot of criticism after several incidences which included her getting hit in the throat by Alyssa Thomas, an incident that led to several Republican lawmakers to demand WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to protect the Indiana Fever guard.
Adam Silver Defends Caitlin Clark Amidst Republicans Using Her for Political Reasons
Many of Caitlin Clark’s more vocal defenders lean to the right, with the 11 lawmakers who sent the letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert all being Republicans. There have been fears that these politicians are using her as a political prop, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has stepped up to defend her over that.
“I have come to know Caitlin really well,” Silver said. “She’s an incredible player and also an incredible person. And she wants to focus on being the best player she can. She has become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it’s incredibly unfair to her. I don’t think that issue is ultimately about officiating. It’s become political ping-pong with her. And she’s a young woman who’s trying to improve her game.”
The conversation around Clark has taken on a culture-war narrative as of late, with many topics no longer centered on basketball. One example is the racist message sent to Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray following her altercation with Clark.
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