By now, you’ve surely heard about the disrespect that Caitlin Clark receives. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, she’s only in her third season, but Clark has already become a three-time All-Star. She has even earned All-WNBA honors, an accomplishment that only elite basketball players can achieve.
Still, many argue that Clark is disrespected on the court, whether by being treated more roughly than other players or by referees not making calls in her favor. Now, there’s concrete proof that Clark’s fellow WNBA players don’t think that highly of her.
ESPN Legend Lashes Out at Latest Caitlin Clark Disrespect
Recently, the WNBA’s players ranked Clark as the 11th-best guard in the league. She’s ranked fifth in the WNBA in scoring and second in assists per game and, as noted, has earned plenty of accolades, but evidently is viewed as just the 11th-best at her position.
Now-retired ESPN host Linda Cohn appeared on Yahoo Sports and expressed frustration over how Clark’s peers aren’t doing anything to support her, which is directly the opposite of how other sports treat their premier athletes.
“You know what cracks me up?” Cohn asked. “It’s the fact that the people, the trolls out there, just find ways to disparage Clark. ‘Oh, she’s always complaining. She’s always whining.’ Take a look at the NBA in the last few decades. Take a look at the GOAT Michael Jordan. Take a look at LeBron James, the GOAT Jr. Do they keep quiet? Do they shut up? Do they [not] work the refs? I mean, it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Cohn went on to put the blame on the league as a whole, suggesting that there’s just no “camaraderie” compared to the NBA, where players build each other up and root for their success. Ultimately, Cohn believes it’s up to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to fix this problem.
“Caitlin Clark is judged differently than players from the NBA,” Cohn continued. “You’re right about the other sports; it’s the camaraderie; they’re all in it together. One for all, all for one. I don’t get it. I keep saying it. It doesn’t make any sense.
“Small-minded mentality by the players, by this league, and I’m waiting for the commissioner to channel maybe her inner-David Stern … and figure out how to make this and make your league bigger and better and improve it so it will become what it should be, a must-watch league.”
“Small-minded mentality by the players, by this league” 👀@lindacohn weighs in on WNBA players voting Caitlin Clark as the league’s 11th-best guard.
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/E5fRiOynTo
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 9, 2026
The WNBA continues to grow in popularity, and there’s no denying that Clark’s arrival in 2024 has had a heavy hand in the league’s overall success. Yet some clearly feel the WNBA isn’t capitalizing on her popularity as well as it could.
