Charles Barkley rips negativity directed at Caitlin Clark
from Jeff Smith, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Fan-favorite broadcaster Charles Barkley can be squarely placed on the side of those heavily supporting rising WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever rookie has cemented her place among the league’s stars and is well on her way to being the face of the WNBA if she hasn’t already reached that level. However, Clark’s immense popularity since starring for the Iowa Hawkeyes has come with an equal amount of scrutiny and criticism. In Barkley’s eyes, that criticism from the media, fellow players and everyone in between is a mistake and the result of jealousy.
During a recent interview on The Ringer’s The Bill Simmons Podcast, Barkley unloaded a NSFW evaluation of the negative narratives directed at Clark.
“These ladies, and I’m a WNBA fan, they can not have f***ed this Caitlin Clark thing up any worse if they tried,” Barkley said. “People believe what we say on television. Just because people don’t like you or your personality, they can’t get on TV and slander you. It’s just total bulls***.”
“This girl is incredible. The number of attention, eyeballs, she’s brought to college and the pros, and for these women to have this petty jealousness. You say to yourself, ‘damn, what is going on here?'”
Barkley went on to praise Clark for not responding to the negativity and criticism at any point throughout her collegiate or pro career.
“And the thing I love about her, she never says a word. But these ladies, who I love and respect their game, they couldn’t have f***ed this thing up any worse. There’s been so much negativity and a lot of it is just petty jealousness.”
It’s a strong statement from Barkley, and the negativity pointed at Clark is tough to understand. She’s helped draw immense interest to the WNBA this season, leading to sellout crowds in arenas across the league. As ESPN initially reported, the Connecticut Sun sold out its home opener this year for the first time since it debuted in Connecticut in 2003.
Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has thrived in her rookie season, averaging 18.9 points, 8.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds. She tallied her second-career triple-double on Wednesday night during a 93-86 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, scoring 24 points with 10 assists and 10 rebounds. The win also clinched a playoff berth for the Fever while moving them to 18-16.
The 22-year-old has done great things in her young career, and based on her current trajectory, she’s poised to make plenty more noise for years to come.