It has been a wild few weeks for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. After becoming one of the more popular women’s players of all time at Iowa, Clark immediately became one of the faces of the WNBA.
That has led players to come after Clark, and it has fueled controversy over how she is officiated and defended. Many have placed the blame on Clark, while others have been staunch defenders.
Dave Portnoy Rips Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Take On Indiana Fever Star Caitlin Clark
Clark’s rabid fan base has come after anyone who says anything even seemingly disparaging about the third-year pro, and that has even caused Clark’s coach, Stephanie White, to comment about Clark’s fans.
White explained: “You know who is also happy after ANY win? CC. This is a team full of people who celebrate and care for one another, and like all of them, she’s a great teammate. We all cannot wait to have CC back on the court. Enough with this ridiculous narrative.”
There have been plenty of arguments about Clark and her place in the league as the “face” of the league, and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t believe Clark has earned that mantle.
Abdul-Jabbar didn’t blame Clark’s fans but simply said her game isn’t worth being called the face of the league.
“Clark is a very good, possible even a great player,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “But calling any one player the face of this league, absent the sort of on-court and cross-platform of a Michael Jordan or a LeBron James is an insult to an awful lot of great players.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says calling Caitlin Clark the face of the WNBA is disrespectful to those who’ve paved the way. pic.twitter.com/qdJRyRknIo
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 15, 2026
Since Clark isn’t considered among the WNBA’s top tier of players, Abdul-Jabbar’s point is that she has not yet earned that label; however, many believe it isn’t fair to hold Clark accountable for the pressure, monikers, and expectations that fans and the media have placed on her.
Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports believes Clark should not be criticized for being called the league’s face.
“Lets keep in mind Caitlin didn’t ask for this,” Portnoy explained. “She’s never said she was the face of the league. She’s always showed respect for those who came before her. She could squash this league like a bug if she started her own league. When she was asked to do NBA 3pt contest she said she wanted to do WNBA one 1st. She has fought for players salaries. But she is by far the most popular player in the league by every metric possible.”
Portnoy also compared Clark to a few other superstar athletes, including two of the best to ever do it.
“Was it disrespectful to past tennis players when Serena and Venus instantly became faces of women’s tennis or Tiger with golf?” Portnoy asked. “The market dictates who the face of the league is and it’s clearly Caitlin. This argument makes zero sense and is just steeped in jealousy and stupidity.”
The two appear to be making separate arguments about the same question. Abdul-Jabbar is judging strictly by the impact players like Jordan and James have made. In that regard, Abdul-Jabbar is right. Clark hasn’t had the sort of impact players like that have.
Portnoy argues that Clark should be considered the “face” of the league because she is the league’s most popular player, which is difficult to dispute.
Unfortunately for Clark, she has become so popular that this question comes with the territory.
