“Jordan..LeBron..Wemby as a Rookie”: Defending WNBA Players’ “Jealousy”, Caitlin Clark Gets Direction From ESPN’s Monica McNutt

It’s been a few days but Saturday’s hotly-contested game between Indiana and Chicago is still grabbing major headlines. The third quarter incident when Sky’s Chennedy Carter shoved Caitlin Clark to the floor has snowballed and has taken a huge discourse. But is it all that surprising? Because of her impact in college, Clark was being hyped even before coming into the league. Many are holding onto narratives that the league and all the WNBA players are jealous of Clark getting so much attention.

However, many players from time to time have acknowledged Clark’s impact and praised her for her efforts in carrying women’s basketball to the next level. Now, with speculations going on in parallels, Monica McNutt is drawing similarities from some of the NBA stars including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Victor Wembanyama. At the same time, she gave out a message to Clark.

ESPN’s Monica McNutt delivers a message for Caitlin Clark

In a recent episode of Nightcap, ESPN analyst Monica McNutt joined Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson in a discussion regarding how social media is responding to the incident involving Caitlin Clark, Chennedy Carter, and the WNBA.

While McNutt believes it is understandable why WNBA players would be jealous of someone getting sneaker deals worth millions, she also said that doesn’t mean they hate her. It’s just the competition. She said on the podcast, “I just need us all to do a better job of holding room for multiple truths.” She then took examples of NBA stars who came into the league with more hype than Clark and how they made sure their work ethic shut all the critics up.

“Jordan as a rookie, LeBron as a rookie and Wemby as a rookie. When you look at guys that have gone on to be great, I’m sure they would not say their rookie years were a cakewalk. Now in the case of LeBron and if we use Wemby this year, they have physically dominant and powerful statures and so maybe that has allowed them to skirt some of the curve,” McNutt added.

She suggested the former Iowa star do the same. “But Caitlin it’s a guard coming from college she gotta get her weight up. The W has to continue to allow her to be one of the leaders of this platform as Angel Reese has also been.” Before giving her insights on this trending issue, McNutt put things in perspective that have been lingering related to the league hating on Clark.

Caitlin versus the W is unfair according to McNutt

McNutt also addressed the ‘what ifs’ that have been looming since Clark’s debut in the league. “Like the idea of some players being jealous, yes that probably exists but I think since Caitlin has made her debut there’s been a large push that is Caitlin versus the W, and that these women don’t understand the power of the eyeballs and the audience that she’s helped grow the league to. That’s just unfair and that’s what bothers me,” McNutt said.

Caitlin Clark’s relentless strive for excellence has taken her to heights unimagined and the league to newfound avenues. For starters, this year’s WNBA draft became the most viewed WNBA draft ever, crossing 3 million views. Her Indiana Fever jersey’s initial batch got sold out even before her WNBA debut. Every game she plays too is always sold out.

Clark is a player who makes everything and everyone better around her. And as for the league, the W is in a pivotal situation, given Saturday’s incident, with Clark at the focal point.