As talk grows around rising Indiana Fever player and women’s basketball phenom Kaitlin Clark, some discussions have taken an uglier turn into racism and misogyny directed at the rest of the WNBA.
On Thursday, Clark refuted that language, saying she did not want her name used in that context.
“Everyone in our world deserves the same amount of respect. And the women in our league deserve the same amount of respect,” Clark said He said in response In response to a question from The Athletic’s James Boyd. “People should not be using my name to push those agendas.”
I asked #IndianaFeverCaitlin Clark spoke directly about her name being used as a weapon of racism/misogyny (as DeJonai Carrington alluded to):
“It’s disappointing. … Everyone in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect. pic.twitter.com/gyAWBqGG8c
– James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 13, 2024
Clark’s response came next Answer In response to a question from The Athletic’s Jim Trotter earlier Thursday, Clark said her name being weaponized is beyond her control.
“I’m just here to play basketball,” Clark said.
#IndianaFeverCaitlin Clark talks about using her name as a weapon in non-sports topics:
“It’s not something I can control. …And to be honest, I don’t see a lot of it.
“People can talk about what they want to talk about. … I’m just here to play basketball.
Question by @JimTrotter_NFL pic.twitter.com/VhGC7cIgLf
– James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 13, 2024
The answer, which some saw as a dismissive of the bigotry prevalent in the conversation, drew criticism, including from Connecticut Sun guard Dejonai Carrington, who… to publish Regarding the response to X
“How one can not be upset that their name is being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and the intersections between them all is crazy,” Carrington wrote. “We all have a platform. We all have a voice, and they all count. Silence is a luxury.”
Doug. How one can not be upset that their name is being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia and the intersections between them all is crazy. We all see sh*t. We all have a platform. We all have a voice and they all carry weight. Silence is a luxury.
– Dijonai Carrington♛ (@DijonaiVictoria) June 13, 2024
Boyd asked Clark the more specific question, related to racism and misogyny, shortly after Carrington’s post. There, the former Iowa State guard was more visible.
“I think treating every woman in this league with the same amount of respect is just a basic human thing that everyone should do,” Clark said. “I think it’s very simple.”
Clarke has had to deal with a lot of hype since joining the WNBA in April, most recently over her exclusion from the Team USA Olympic roster — a disdain for many of her fans. Clarke herself has said that she considers being left out of the team “something to work towards”.
Thursday night, Clark and the Fever won their fourth game of the season with a 91-84 win over the Atlanta Dream. Clark scored seven points on 3-for-11 shooting, adding four rebounds and six assists. Aliyah Boston led Indiana with 27 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Kelsey Mitchell with 24 points.
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