Caitlin Clark has been an integral part of Indiana Fever’s success this year after missing the majority of last season due to injuries. The Fever are currently fifth in the WNBA standings with an overall record of 26-14, and much of the credit goes to their ‘Big 3’ of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston.
Jason Whitlock Launches Caitlin Clark Rant, Accuses Fans of Pushing MVP narrative
While Clark may not even statistically be the runaway best player on her own team, plenty of fans are pushing her name alongside that of A’ja Wilson in the MVP race. Now, WNBA analyst Jason Whitlock, speaking on his “Fearless” podcast, has hit back at these fans, accusing them of trying to break the Fever’s trio in a bid to push the Clark as a ‘solo act.’
Whitlock compared the situation to The Hunger Games, claiming that while the Fever has the ‘most electrifying trio’ ever assembled in women’s basketball, a part of the support keeps pushing the MVP narrative for Clark.
“Rather than celebrating the three complementary stars learning how to win together, the ecosystem is working to isolate one and diminish the others,” he said. “The Fever sit fifth in the standings. Mitchell leads the team in win shares. Boston is second. Clark is third…Yet, a national army of content creators, not Indiana fans, not people who live with this team, is campaigning to force Clark into a photo finish with A’ja Wilson for MVP.”
Whitlock cited the fact that Clark will be eligible for a supermax contract under the CBA’s EPIC Provision, which may lead to Indiana’s trio breaking up due to salary cap restrictions.
“Who benefits from blowing up the Indiana Fever? Sports fans in Indianapolis. No, I don’t think so. Caitlin Clark content creators benefit. They prefer a Caitlin solo act. They do not really care about winning,” Whitlock explained.
Whitlock went on to suggest that these content creators merely care about the clout, claiming that Fever fans like him only care about their team winning. Whitlock went on to claim that Clark’s fan base is looking to ‘tear down’ Mitchell in order to strengthen her MVP case, citing ‘racial idolatry.’
“Racial idolatry comes in every shade. Caitlin Clark, Nike, Clark’s fan base, and those outside forces are pushing to break up Clark and Mitchell…Conservative Clark fans are far more concerned with Clark destroying woke black women than with the Fever winning anything. That desire has pitted Clark against her own teammates,” he explained.
Mitchell currently has a field-goal percentage of 51.3% while averaging 25 points per game, while Clark averages 22.5 points, 8.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds.
And while Clark may have been pushed by some for the MVP award ahead of Mitchell, there is little doubt that both players continue to play a major role in helping their team count among the favorites for the WNBA title this year.
