Caitlin Clark has long left the floor with the Indiana Fever losing in Round 1 of the playoffs, but the narrative about her being targeted is only growing. From players like Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun to Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter, numerous players have found themselves under the fire from Caitlin Clark’s passionate fanbase. The situation escalated when the NBA icon and ‘Inside the NBA’ analyst, Charles Barkley, shared his remarks on the league. However, this time, a former WNBA champion has given a new perspective to this debate.

In the recent episode of the ‘A Touch More‘ podcast, former WNBA player, Sue Bird didn’t mince her words when she addressed the growing narrative that WNBA players are unfairly picking up on Clark. The 4x champion found it offending that legitimate defensive plays against the point guard were portrayed as acts of jealousy or pettiness. “When the season started and people saw people blocking Caitlin’s shot or picking her up full court it then became, oh they are targeting her, oh they are trying to hurt her. I cannot stress enough how insulting that is. That is probably like the biggest insult you can throw at an athlete especially an entire league of athletes,” said Bird during the podcast.

However, Bird didn’t stop at that. She even continued to stress the shortcomings of the recent media coverage. According to her, new media members, who don’t usually cover the WNBA, are covering just the trending part of the league with minute research and also sensationalizing legitimate actions for clicks and views. These comments by Bird can be speculated to be indirect jabs towards Charles Barkley, Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A Smith, and more, who had commented on the league a few months back.

“This girl is incredible. The number of attention, eyeballs she’s brought to college and the pros, and for these women to have this petty jealousness…But these ladies, who I love and respect their game, they couldn’t have f—ed this thing up any worse. There’s been so much negativity,” said Barkley, fueling the fire. Many former and current WNBA stars like Chiney Ogwumike and A’ja Wilson also came forward to deny what Chuck had to say.

Moreover, the 43-year-old, even pointed out why a good defense is necessary. A strong defense can disrupt the opponent’s offensive flow, making it difficult for them to score. By contesting shots and preventing easy baskets, a good defense can limit a shooter’s opportunities. During the 2024 season, Clark scored an average of 19.2 PPG and 8.4 APG. If her opponents didn’t have good defensive strategies against her then Clark would have scored even more and the former WNBA player was quick to point it out. “It was like you have to. If you don’t, she’s going to drop 35 on you, it’s called like smart defense. You got to take people out of their game,” mentioned the Seattle Storm legend, acknowledging the offensive prowess of the Des Moines native who did average 31.6 points per game at Iowa.

Bird’s comments give a new perspective to the ongoing debate regarding the WNBA ROTY. Only time will tell how this debate will play out. But one thing is for sure: Caitlin Clark is a polarizing figure who is sure to be the center of attention for years to come. However, during the podcast, the 4x WNBA champion also mentioned the exact point the Caitlin Clark debate took a turn.

Sue Bird reveals when the Caitlin Clark narrative began

As mentioned before, the backlash from Caitlin Clark’s fans started when the incident with Chennedy Carter happened. On June 1, in the game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever, Carter, during the third quarter of the game, shoulder-checked Clark, which ended up knocking her to the floor.

In a sideline interview after Fever’s win, Clark had stated that Carter’s away-from-ball action was “not a basketball play.” Since then, the Indiana Fever point guard’s fans have constantly targeted the 25-year-old shooting guard.

According to Bird, it all started when another WNBA standout expressed her comments towards Clark. “It started with me and Diana in our show getting interviewed by Scott Van Pelt,” said Bird during the podcast. Pelt’s question during the interview was about Clark’s future to which Taurasi’s comment was pretty straightforward. “Look SVP… reality is coming. There are levels to this thing… You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds but you’re gonna come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time,” said Taurasi during the interview.

The comments made by Taurasi went viral online and the Clark stans started targeting Taurasi for jealousy. This incident happened when Clark was still playing with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The former point guard’s comments shed light on the complex dynamics within the WNBA and the potential factors influencing public perceptions of players. But it is for sure, that the league has seen many incredible players come and go, but someone like Caitlin Clark is indeed a “generational talent.”

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger