NFL legend Ryan Clark has urged the WNBA to publicly support Caitlin Clark and its other players as off-court debates continue to dominate coverage of the league.
Speaking on The Pivot podcast, Clark said the focus should return to the women competing on the court rather than controversies surrounding the WNBA.
Ryan Clark wants Caitlin Clark’s basketball to take center stage
Clark called on the WNBA to make clear that it stands behind its players and said the league should move away from what he described as an issue that has distracted from the action.
“The biggest thing to me is the WNBA needs to take a stand and say they stand with the women that are on the court right now playing. That is who they want to protect. And we should stop having conversations about a make-believe issue that the WNBA has not had in 30 years of its existence,” Clark said.
He pointed to Caitlin Clark’s performances, as well as the achievements of other WNBA players, as examples of the basketball stories that deserve greater attention.
“What you should be talking about the fact that Sydney Taylor has gone from undrafted player to clutch bucket maker in the most important moments for her team. That Natasha Cloud, just three games before the incident happened, had 35 points and she was looking for a team this offseason,” Clark added.
“Caitlin Clark on that very night hit eight three-pointers. This is somebody that’s in the MVP conversations, one of the faces of the league.”
The comments come as Caitlin Clark remains at the center of wider debates involving officiating, physical play and political arguments surrounding the WNBA.
Adam Silver defends Caitlin Clark
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently defended Clark publicly and said the attention surrounding her has been unfair.
“I have come to know Caitlin really well,” Silver said. “She’s an incredible player and also an incredible person. And she wants to focus on being the best player she can. She has become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it’s incredibly unfair to her.”
Clark argued that the same distractions are also preventing other WNBA players from receiving recognition for their performances.
“And instead of talking about uplifting her and her game, you’re now dealing with nonsense and having to have conversations about that. Angel Reese goes for 31 points two games ago, has 26 rebounds in the next game to break a record. You’ve been fighting all this time for those sorts of people to be recognized.”
His central message was that Caitlin Clark and her fellow WNBA stars should primarily be discussed for what they produce on the basketball court.
