Caitlin Clark has been at the forefront of taking the WNBA to unprecedented popularity. And popular radio host Charlamagne tha God said he believes the reason the Indiana Fever star has become incredibly popular is mainly because she is white.
Charlamagne tha God made his comments during an interview with late night host Bill Maher, as Charlamagne compared Clark’s blossoming celebrity status to that of Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson.
Wilson was just as dominant as Clark during her college career. Wilson was so influential to South Carolina that Colonial Life Arena in Columbia erected a statue outside its doors in her honor.
Clark should have his own statue built in Iowa City one day, but it just goes to show how transcendent Wilson was, especially when he played for Dawn Staley amid the Gamecocks’ dominance in recent years.
Wilson is still one of the best basketball players as a two-time WNBA MVP. She didn’t get an eighth of the attention Clark gets. Maher and Charlamagne wondered if that was necessary with Clark’s race.
Clark has helped the WNBA achieve unprecedented popularity since joining the Indiana Fever
Charlamagne believes that Clark is popular mainly because she is white
“A’ja Wilson was the biggest when she came out of South Carolina … and she didn’t get all that,” Charlamagne said.
‘What do you attribute that to? I mean, you’re saying that’s racism?’ Maher wondered.
‘No, I’m not saying it’s racist. “I’m just saying that I think A’ja Wilson has a point, and I think sometimes when black women say certain things, we have to listen, especially to her, because I’m not in her shoes,” Charlamagne responded.
‘But why was Serena Williams such a big star? Because people like that. They didn’t look at her because she was black, right?’ Maher added.
Williams was tennis’s biggest star and best player for more than a decade, and was black in a white-dominated sport.
The reverse is true for Clark, with the majority of the WNBA being made up of black women.
Williams himself recently responded to TIME about Clark’s rise, seemingly in agreement with Maher.
“If people are negative, it’s because they can’t do what you’re doing,” Williams said.