Caitlin Clark entered the WNBA as the most hyped prospect in league history, and her impact has lived up to every bit of it. Since being drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever in 2024, Clark has driven record television ratings, packed arenas across the country, and helped secure a massive 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal that will reshape the league’s financial future.
Given all that, the league’s decision to leave Clark off its official 30th-anniversary commemorative poster, as expected, wasn’t well received. Two former Heisman Trophy winners were among the first high-profile figures to publicly call out the omission, with both questioning why the WNBA continues to sideline its most marketable player.
Caitlin Clark’s Absence from WNBA 30th Anniversary Poster Draws Criticism
The poster, produced by WinCraft and promoted by the league on June 24, featured 30 players, including one representative from each of the current WNBA teams. Indiana’s representative was guard Sophie Cunningham, rather than Clark, who is widely viewed as the face of the league and the driving force behind its current popularity boom.
Former USC quarterback and 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart kept it shorter but just as pointed, asking, “Where’s Caitlin?”
2011 Heisman winner Robert Griffin III also posted his reaction on X and didn’t hold back. He wrote, “No Caitlin Clark on this poster is RIDICULOUS. No Diana Taurasi, No Sue Bird, No Tamika Catchings. No Candace Parker. No Elena Delle Donne. No Cynthia Cooper. No Sylvia Fowles. RIDICULOUS. You can’t tell the 30 year history of the WNBA without these women.”
No Caitlin Clark on this poster is RIDICULOUS.
No Diana Taurasi
No Sue Bird
No Tamika Catchings.
No Candace Parker.
No Elena Delle Donne.
No Cynthia Cooper.
No Sylvia Fowles.RIDICULOUS.
You can’t tell the 30 year history of the WNBA without these women. https://t.co/TyiTsliw0j pic.twitter.com/zSetGCTKdn
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 25, 2026
Fans and analysts flooded social media within minutes of the poster’s release, questioning both the selection criteria and the league’s broader handling of Clark’s stardom.
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Clark may not yet match the career accomplishments of current superstars like A’ja Wilson or Breanna Stewart, but no player in WNBA history has generated this level of commercial impact in such a short window.
The WNBA is in its strongest financial and cultural position in three decades, and Clark is a major reason for that growth. Leaving her off a poster celebrating the league’s history reinforces the narrative that the league either doesn’t understand what it has in the Fever star or actively resists leveraging it.
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That’s a pattern the WNBA can’t afford to continue if the goal is to maximize exposure for every player in the league.
