After Rumors of Jealousy vs Caitlin Clark Boil Over, A’ja Wilson Claps Back: “Our League Is Hard as Hell”

Caitlin Clark has a long line of admirers. However, she also has quite a handful of haters. But is the 2x WNBA champ A’ja Wilson among them? Now that the NCAA’s scoring leader is in the same league as the Las Vegas Aces sensation, does anything change? With a long history behind certain WNBA veterans disliking Clark for her name and fame, seems like Wilson is staying away from it all.

In her latest tweet about the Iowa Hawkeyes icon, Wilson shut down jealousy rumors. An X user accused A’ja Wilson after she tweeted “Pslam 37:7,” commenting, “The jealousy in the WNBA is crazy!!!!!! Caitlin ’bout to bring a new level of viewership to your league and you hating on her???” Consequently, the 2023 WNBA Finals MVP had to respond before the wildfire caught air.

Instead, she even commended Clark by saying that their league is quite tough and the Iowa sensation is continuously keeping up with the waves without drowning. That is something commendable for Wilson.

Although, previously, the 2x Defensive POY did say that she would only consider Caitlin Clark a GOAT if she wins an NCAA championship. This came right after she became the all-time leading scorer in college basketball. That time, Wilson had said, “My teammate KP was like ‘yeah that’s huge, that’s a lot of points’. Don’t take that for granted. Congratulations to her but I think she gotta win one.” While this doesn’t exactly sound like a jealous remark, other WNBA stars have been more obvious with their remarks.

WNBA vets haven’t minced their words while speaking about Caitlin Clark

WNBA icon Daina Taurasi was among the many who criticized and undermined Clark’s impact on basketball. She said, “Reality is coming. You look superhuman playing against 18 year olds but you’re gonna come with some grown women that been playing professional basketball for a long time.” LA Sparks guard Lexie Brown too dismissed Clark’s image, suggesting that many women before her have also changed the spectacle of the WNBA and that No. 22’s popularity is dimming their shine.

Commenting on Ice Cube’s offer of $5 million to Caitlin Clark for 8+2 games, Brown added her speculations, saying, “You offer the contract to a player who is not yet in the WNBA. For us, to get constantly s**t on. Like you can’t even acknowledge the growth and how amazing the WNBA is doing because of s**t like this happens.”

Apart from these, 4x WNBA champion Breanna Stewart said that Clark needs to win an NCAA WBB championship. Otherwise, no broken record would show her real goal. Sheryl Swoopes criticized Clark when she broke Kelsey Plum’s scoring record. This 4x WNBA champion had said, “If it is legitimate, you have to break the record in the same amount of time that that player set it. So, if Kelsey Plum set that record in four years, well, Caitlin should have broke that record in four years.”

There is no question that the WNBA is not being as welcoming to Caitlin Clark as she would have hoped for. However, it does not look like A’ja Wilson is one of the haters. It remains to be seen what tomorrow will bring for Clark. But until then, fans can wish that her effect continues to help the WNBA grow as well.