Black WNBA players are ‘racist’ towards Caitlin Clark, claims Jason Whitlock as he slams TV networks like ESPN for not talking about it
Controversial podcast host Jason Whitlock has accused black WNBA players of being racist towards Caitlin Clark and criticized networks like ESPN for not talking about it.
The No. 1 overall pick and rookie sensation was subjected to multiple rough treatment 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’s Skylar Diggins-Smith threw a cheap punch at Clark after she helped Indiana Fever to a 92-75 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Diggins-Smith, an Olympic gold medalist and six-time WNBA All-Star, needlessly collided with Clark late in Sunday’s game.
Clark was whipping up the Fever fans after the final whistle when Diggins-Smith appeared to quicken her running pace to deliberately run into her opponent.
Jason Whitlock accuses black WNBA players of racism towards Caitlin Clark
Clark has been the victim of rough treatment several times during her first season
Clark walked on undeterred and celebrated the victory with the home fans, but Whitlock maintains that this was yet another example of racist behavior by the WNBA’s black players.
He said: ‘One of the biggest stories in sport over the last year and a half, and the person who should be Sportsperson of the Year, is Caitlin Clark.
“What can’t be discussed is the level of racial animus that’s been directed at her. 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. Like, ‘Holy cow, these hatin’-a** Shaniqua’s,’ this is racism.
‘They were playing 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.
“They got their doors blown off by Caitlin Clark and the Fever and at the end of it Noelle Quinn starts yelling and screaming and preaching at Christie Sides. The point was at the end of the game, Caitlin Clark, they’re up big, there’s a timeout, she’s standing at the end of the court where the Seattle Storm bench is and she’s clapping and gesticulating to the crowd to pump up the noise.
Skylar Diggins-Smith has been criticized by fans online for taking a cheap dig at Clark
‘Skylar Diggins purposely bumps into Caitlin Clark and carries her to the Storm huddle and sideline area. You can see Noelle Quinn getting triggered at the very end of the clip.
“She gets annoyed because she thinks Clark is abandoning the Seattle Storm team, but if Skylar Diggins hadn’t hit her, she wouldn’t have been anywhere near the Storm bench.
‘To me it’s just another example of how these black women are hostile to each other.
“It’s not all women, but there are enough of them who are so taken by Caitlin Clark’s success that they lose their cool, they lose their temper, they get completely distraught by her success and it seems like no one talks about it anymore.”
Clark also faced hostility from her Chicago Sky opponent, Chennedy Carter, earlier this season, when Carter attempted to bodycheck her.
Clark’s college rival Angel Reese was also cheered from the bench.
Clark scored 23 points and had nine assists to help the Fever defeat 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 claimed 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 her last six games. She’s averaging 23.7 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and 11.7 assists in that span.
Whitlock claimed Clark is the second-best player in the WNBA, behind A’Ja Wilson, and is a contender for the MVP award.
“If you take the first 10 games out of the equation and just evaluate what Clark has done in the last 18 games, she is the second best player in the league. If you only evaluate the last 18-19 games, she could qualify for league MVP.
“She probably won’t get it next year, but she’s probably going to be the best player in the league next year and should be the MVP. Her teammates have gotten on board with her because winning is contagious. They understand that a rising tide lifts all boats.
“But there’s this angry group — Noelle Quinn, Jewell Lloyd won’t talk about her. Even Skylar Diggins, who I like, got that little pushback on her. They’re just angry and jealous and petty, and — I’m sorry — it’s racist and it’s intolerant.
“If this happened to a black player and a group of white players, this would be happening every night on Sportscenter and on every ESPN talk show.
‘People thought I was crazy when I said, “She won’t get death threats like Jackie Robinson,” but this might be harder than Jackie Robinson.’