Controversial podcast host Jason Whitlock accused black WNBA players of being racist toward Caitlin Clark and criticized networks like ESPN for not addressing the issue.
The first overall draft pick and rookie sensation has been the subject of harsh treatment on numerous occasions during her first season as a pro, with some accusing her opponents of being jealous of her remarkable impact on women’s basketball.
The latest incident occurred Sunday when Seattle Storm player Skylar Diggins-Smith took a low blow at Clark after she inspired the Indiana Fever to a 92-75 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Diggins-Smith, an Olympic gold medalist and six-time WNBA All-Star, was caught unnecessarily colliding with Clark at the end of Sunday’s game.
Clark was cheering on the Fever fans after the buzzer when Diggins-Smith appeared to speed up his walk to intentionally run into his opponent.
Jason Whitlock has accused black WNBA players of being racist towards Caitlin Clark
Clark has been subject to harsh treatment on numerous occasions during his first season.
Undeterred, Clark continued to walk and celebrate with the victorious home fans, but Whitlock insists it was another example of racist behavior by black WNBA players.
He said: ‘One of the biggest stories in sports over the last year and a half, and the person who should be Sportswoman of the Year is Caitlin Clark.
“What you can’t argue with is the level of racial animus that’s being directed at him. If you’re in independent media, if you’re on Twitter, you can talk about it all the time, but I haven’t seen it discussed on ESPN yet. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, these Shaniquas that hate everybody,’ this is racism.
‘They played against the Seattle Storm and Noelle Quinn is the head coach of the Storm. Noelle Quinn got into a heated argument with Christie Sides, the head coach of the Indiana Fever, at the end of the game.
‘Caitlin Clark and the Fever blew the door off and at the end, Noelle Quinn started yelling and screaming and lecturing Christie Sides. What happened was at the end of the game, Caitlin Clark, they were winning, there was a timeout, she was at the end of the court where the Seattle Storm bench was and she was clapping and motioning for the crowd to keep making noise.
Fans online criticized Skylar Diggins-Smith for attacking Clark.
‘Skylar Diggins intentionally collides with Caitlin Clark and drives her into the Storm’s staging area and the sideline. You can see at the end of the clip that Noelle Quinn gets activated.
‘She gets upset because she thinks Clark is putting the Seattle Storm team on the spot, but if Skylar Diggins hadn’t crashed into her, she wouldn’t have been anywhere near the Storm bench.
‘To me, it’s just another example of these black women: they have this animosity.
‘It’s not everyone, but there are quite a few who seem to be so upset by Caitlin Clark’s success that they lose their cool, they lose their self-control, they’re just affected by her success, and it’s like no one’s talking about it.’
Clark also experienced some hostility early in the season from her Chicago Sky opponent, Chennedy Carter, who did everything he could to take her to the ground.
Clark’s college rival Angel Reese was also seen cheering on the play from the bench.
Clark had 23 points and nine assists to help the Fever beat the Seattle Storm 92-75.
With 232 assists so far this season, Clark broke the previous WNBA rookie record of 224 set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998.
Whitlock said Clark is the second best player in the WNBA behind A’Ja Wilson
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft has scored at least 20 points in five of his last six games. He’s averaging 23.7 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and 11.7 assists in that span.
Whitlock said Clark is the second-best player in the WNBA behind A’Ja Wilson and could be a contender to win the MVP award.
‘If you take out the first ten games and only evaluate what Clark has done in the last 18 games, she is the second best player in the league and has a right to be the league MVP if you only evaluate the last 18-19 games.
“She probably won’t get it next year, but she’ll probably be the best player in the league next year and should be the MVP. Her teammates have rallied around her because winning is contagious. They understand that a rising tide lifts all boats.
“But there’s one angry group: Noelle Quinn and Jewell Lloyd don’t want to talk about her. Even Skylar Diggins, who I like, gave her that little push. They’re angry and jealous and mean, and I’m sorry, it’s racist and it’s bigoted.
‘If this was happening to a black player by a group of white players, it would be the main topic of Sportscenter every night and every talk show on ESPN.
‘People called me crazy when I said ‘she won’t face death threats like Jackie Robinson,’ but this might be harder than Jackie Robinson.’