There have been plenty of voices that have spoken about Caitlin Clark and her first season in the WNBA. The Iowa sensation-turned-Fever rookie is at the forefront of women's basketball, whether she asked for that distinction or not.
Her rise to fame has caused plenty of reactions, both good and bad, around the sport. One of the biggest names to voice his support for Clark has been Charles Barkley.
The NBA Hall of Famer rubbed certain people the wrong way a couple of weeks ago when he made comments bashing other players in the WNBA for not fully backing the star Indiana rookie. He got an opportunity to speak on Clark again recently, and he did not back down from his previous quotes.
Here is what Barkley had to say about Clark and how she has been treated during her WNBA career.
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What did Charles Barkley say about Caitlin Clark?
Before the Western Conference Finals in the NBA, Barkley spoke out candidly about his thoughts on how Clark was being treated to start her WNBA career. He called other women's basketball players "petty" and that they should be thanking her for all of the money she was bringing in for the league.
"You women out there, y'all petty, man," Barkley said. "Hey, LeBron, you’re 100 percent right on these girls hating on Caitlin Clark. Y'all petty, girls. I expect men to be petty because we’re the most insecure group in the world. Y'all should be thanking that girl for getting y'all a— private charters, all the money and visibility she’s bringing to the WNBA. Don’t be petty like dudes.
"Listen, what she’s accomplished, give her her flowers. Stop being petty, all you women out there. She got y'all a— charters. She’s bringing all y'all this money to the table but y'all being petty like dudes. LeBron, you are 100 percent right. Y'all girls, stop being petty. Caitlin Clark, thank you for bringing all that money and shine to the WNBA."
"You woman out there, y'all petty, man... Y'all should be thanking [Caitlin Clark] for getting y'all a*s private charters. All the money and visibility she's bringing to the WNBA."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 23, 2024
Charles Barkley says WNBA players need to give Caitlin her flowers 💐pic.twitter.com/l959GWr1JR
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His initial quotes caused pushback from multiple players in the WNBA. Chiney Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, A'ja Wilson, Dearica Hamby, Michaela Onyenwere and Sydney Colson were among the members of the league to combat Barkley's insinuation of hatred towards Clark.
Barkley got the chance to give his take again on how Clark has been welcomed to the professional level. During an appearance alongside ESPN's Doug Bell, he doubled down on his comments, once again calling out the other players for being "petty," calling it "unfortunate" that Clark is being treated this way.
"Petty jealousy and it’s really unfortunate because of what she’s done for the game," Barkley said. "You know, listen, I believe in rookie hazing, but some of the criticism has gone overboard, and I think it’s really unfair because, man, you look at the ratings for the draft, for the WNBA — she’s making everybody money. And I think she’s got some deals, good for her.
"I mean, the girl set the record for the most points ever scored in college. I mean, that’s pretty incredible. But the girls got to grow up and like, 'Yo, you know what? I can go at her hard on the basketball court, but the visibility and stuff she’s bringing to the league is only going to fill all our wallets up in the long run.'
"It’s just petty jealousy, and it’s really unfortunate."
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Barkley made the point that the discussion surrounding the WNBA has not been about the basketball itself, but about the drama occurring both on and off the court — taking away from the positives of the situation.
"And the thing that’s really bad right now is we’re not even talking about basketball," Barkley said. "That’s the problem that I have with the whole thing. And listen, we knew she was gonna struggle. Kobe Bryant struggled. Charles Barkley struggled. Every rookie struggles.
"There’s a reason [the Fever] had the No. 1 pick in the draft. The team’s not very good. But what’s bad is instead of talking about all the good things happening for the WNBA, we’re talking about negativity. There used to be the old saying, 'All publicity is good publicity.' No, it’s not. Not when you’re a niche sport trying to get the consumers to buy into your product."
Since Barkley's first comments, it hasn't exactly gotten better for Clark. She was the subject of a targeted and unnecessary shove by Chennedy Carter during a Fever vs. Sky game, causing another rift in the WNBA. Chicago rookie Angel Reese spoke out after the incident, taking an indirect shot at Clark in the process by saying "one person" is not the sole reason why people watch women's basketball.
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All this time, Clark has kept quiet on the matter, letting her hooping do the talking.
It's been a rocky start for Clark in her venture into professional basketball. Whether the feelings towards her are warranted or not, the WNBA has seen a rise in popularity this season. You can argue that it's not solely due to Clark — and you would be correct, there are plenty of other first-year sensations like Reese and Cameron Brink, as well as established stars. However, Clark's emergence undoubtedly has played a major role.
Only time will tell if the target on her back grows.
