Earlier this week, ESPN’s Monica McNutt caught flak from basketball observers after saying that Caitlin Clark needs more “accountability and self-awareness” regarding “her role in the larger sisterhood” in the WNBA.
The analyst’s comments came after the Indiana Fever superstar told McNutt’s colleague, Malika Andrews, that she has dealt with “emotionally exhausting” and “draining” media coverage.
While McNutt was slammed on social media, Clark’s biggest rival, Angel Reese, is standing by the former Georgetown Hoyas star.
Angel Reese Gives Strong Monica McNutt Endorsement After Analyst Faces Backlash Over Caitlin Clark Comments
In the aforementioned interview with Andrews, Clark opened up about how the media has portrayed her.
“I think there’s just like a false characterization of who I am sometimes. … As a reporter or as a blogger, you can write an opinion piece, and that’s your job and whatever. But at the same time, you don’t know me,” Clark said.
“I feel like media and journalism have a responsibility to tell the stories, and a lot of times, you guys are controlling the narratives about what people read and what people talk about. A lot of that is sometimes so far out of touch with what is reality.”
Clark’s statement reverberated, prompting McNutt to respond a couple of days later.
“Caitlin Clark is 24. She is a shining star in the galaxy of the WNBA, but I do think as she continues to matriculate through this league, there’s room for a little bit more accountability and self-awareness in terms of her role in the larger sisterhood, if she sees it that way, in the WNBA,” McNutt said.
McNutt seemed to insinuate that the 24-year-old superstar was wrong and that she needs to mature. Not long after her comments about Clark, calls mounted for ESPN to fire the analyst.
However, Reese is having none of that and instead praised McNutt when the ESPN host asked her to give advice to young women who want to be like the Atlanta Dream star.
“Be bold. Take that step. I think, oftentimes, women, they try to put us in a box. What we have to do and what spaces we can be in, what we can’t be in. I think you’re an example of it,” Reese said of McNutt.
“Being one of the focal points on ESPN all the time, you that girl. I be saying like, ‘OK, period! That’s a Black queen right there.’ But I just think it’s important just to have a voice. … Women are just so powerful. We run the world. I love women.”
“Be bold. … Be in these spaces and be confident.”
Angel Reese shares advice to young women with @McNuttMonica 🙌 pic.twitter.com/g97l0BKW1E
— espnW (@espnW) July 29, 2026
Reese’s staunch support for McNutt is a boost to the analyst who has been heavily scrutinized at ESPN. About a week ago, the network fired Ryan Clark, who later claimed on his “The Pivot Podcast” that he was let go for tackling social issues that sometimes dominate sports.
Arguably, no other WNBA player has generated as much off-court conversation in recent years as Clark has. McNutt has argued that, as one of the league’s brightest stars, the Fever guard carries added responsibility both on and off the floor. While those remarks drew significant criticism, Reese made it clear she still stands by the ESPN analyst.
