ESPN released its top 50 WNBA player rankings heading into the 2026 season, placing Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark at No. 10. The network prominently featured Clark on the promotional graphic on Twitter, instantly sparking accusations from the WNBA world that the placement was designed entirely to farm social media engagement.
Caitlin Clark’s ESPN Ranking has WNBA World in Arms Against ESPN
The moment the list dropped, social media lit up. Clark, widely considered the face of the league’s recent surge in popularity, being placed outside the top five or even the top eight didn’t sit right with a large portion of the WNBA community.
Yahoo Sports’ Nekias Duncan was among those with a neutral take, despite disagreeing with many of the placements. “As someone that’s had to make similar lists, it is *not* easy at all,” he said. “And it’s more difficult in this case bc you’re managing four different voices — so I’m sure they’re higher/lower on some of the placements, too. But wheeeeeeeew buddy do I have some disagreements in here lol.”
Attempting to average conflicting opinions from a panel inevitably leads to analytical inconsistencies.
Also Read: What Happened to Caitlin Clark? Latest Update On Fever Star’s Injury After Leaving Wings Clash Early
Other reactions weren’t too soft on either ESPN’s rankings or its blatantly obvious rage bait.
@iam_johnw summed it up bluntly on Twitter, “They got Kelsey plum and Paige Bueckers ranked ahead of Caitlin Clark lmao anything for clicks.” Prominent fan account @HanaHoops also echoed the sentiment, “We all know damn well there isn’t 9 players better then her in this league.”
Intentional or not, ESPN’s appearance of farming clicks didn’t sit well with the majority of the WNBA fandom. A’ja Wilson being placed atop the list didn’t seem to matter as much as the rest of the list.
Twitter user @The_foundersnet questioned the credibility of the entire list. “Well you got number 1 right. But after that I have no idea what you were thinking and would question of you even watch the game. Phee behind Alyssa Thomas? Alyssa Thomas even in top ten. Come on. Paige and Plum in front of Clark? This is bad and click bait right?”
Sports Illustrated’s Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) backed that line of argument as well. “I know a lot of people will be mad at CC being at 10 (and rightfully so), but Alyssa Thomas at 2 is the craziest work of all,” he tweeted.
The panel seemingly penalized Clark heavily for injuries she sustained last season. However, they completely ignored her dominant return to the floor, where she recently won the MVP for USA basketball. WNBA YouTuber Mick Talks Hoops highlighted the glaring hypocrisy. “So Caitlin is 10 because of Injuries last season??? Despite winning MVP for USA?? Sabrina leapfrogs her despite playoff no show & a full offseason hurt. And a player who’s currently injured, had surgeries on both ankles & hasn’t ran since September didn’t go down,”
Sabrina Ionescu leapfrogged Clark in the rankings after missing the entire offseason due to injury and a playoff no-show.
The worst part of this outrage was ESPN’s decision to feature Clark on the list’s promotional graphic, which reinforced the impression of a blatant clickbait attempt. User @taterthotiana tweeted, “ESPN: “Let’s rank her 10th and make her the graphic for click bait.””
ESPN ultimately achieved its goal by dominating the daily basketball discourse. But sacrificing analytical consistency to leverage a superstar’s passionate fanbase is a dangerous strategy for the league’s primary broadcast partner.
