With stardom comes intense scrutiny. WNBA star Caitlyn Clark is facing the brunt of it. Heralded as the “best female collegiate player ever” by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal during her time with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark became the No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick by the Indiana Fever. With an impressive body of work achieved during her college years that saw her become the leading scorer in NCAA history, it was inevitable that the noise around her during her WNBA debut season would be something she hadn’t faced before. But, she seems to be handling it pretty well. “I’m not on social media so I don’t see a lot of it,” Clark had stated in an interview. The 22-year-old’s calm poise amidst the on-field attacks from other players and lack of support from her own teammates has gotten her a lot of admirers. One of them is tennis legend, Serena Williams. Williams drew parallels with the hostile invitation she had received during her entry into the professional circuit.

Hopefully, the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s kind words for Catlin Clark will go a long way as she weathers the pressure of expectations from fans. Being laser-focused, and keeping an eye on the ball is something that she can pick up from Williams’ playbook. Meanwhile, former Mayweather promotions CEO has backed up Serena Williams as she champions the Indiana Fever point guard.

Game Recognizes Game and Leonard Ellerbe approves

If there ever was a player who knows what vitriolic verbal abuse feels like it would be Serena Williams. Remember the Indian Wells finals in 2001, when an entire crowd of people jeered her with racist abuse? Ever since she made her foray into the professional tennis scene as a teenager, she has been body-shamed and subjected to racist remarks by reputed columnists and tennis fans alike. However, she answered them all back with performances on the court.

At the latest edition of Tribeca Film Festival for the movie premiere of her docuseries: ‘In the Arena: Serena Williams’, she opened up about the negativity surrounding her playing career. “I was bullied. We go into that a little bit in the arena as well. The things I had to go through, now people will be canceled for saying back then.”

Emphasizing the point of negativity further, she seems to be a big fan of Caitlin Clark’s “grounded” approach as she moves up the ranks to solidify her status as an elite basketball player. And, she has a piece of advice for the young buck who is trying to make it big. “If people are negative it’s because they can’t do what you do,” ‘Queen of the Court’ said. Williams’ wise words also resonated with former Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe, who knows a thing or two about being hated on for being successful. “Say it louder for the people in the back,” he tweeted on X.

Nonetheless, heaping more praise on Caitlin Clark, Williams opined, “ She said she doesn’t look at her social [media], I get it, I don’t either. I think it’s so important to just continue doing what she’s doing, no matter what other people do.”

Being a promising white WNBA player, her name gets dragged into unwarranted culture war debates that she had no control over. So much so, that her “I’m not on social media” comment rubbed Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington the wrong way, inviting controversy.

“Silence is a luxury”: A reprimand that boiled over on the basketball court

For a woman with a profile such as Caitlyn Clark, does she have the duty to speak up? Carrington surely feels that way. She seems to have a huge problem with Caitlyn being oblivious to what’s happening on social media. “One can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them. We all have a platform…..Silence is a luxury,” she opined.

The bad blood reared its ugly head when Connecticut Sun faced Indiana Fever for an action-packed game of basketball this month. A foul committed on Clark during the game elicited a reaction of mockery from Carrington.

Apart from the routine disparagement and fault-finding on social media, the newbie’s colleagues are making her feel the physicality of the game. With 46 total fouls drawn, she is third overall in the WNBA and stands in 11th place for average fouls drawn per game. However, Clark takes it in her stride and calls it part of the game. “This is a very physical game. It is what it is,” she said.

Controversies aside, she is already making a statement in the WNBA. Named the Rookie of the Month in May, she is lighting up the scene with her assists and point-scoring tally already. It seems the sky is the limit for the young rook!

What do you think about Caitlin Clark’s performance so far in the WNBA? Let us know in the comment section below.