WNBA legend Sue Bird and former U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe weighed in on the backlash over Caitlin Clark’s remarks about White privilege in her interview with Time magazine.

The Indiana Fever star spoke about her supposed White privilege as she said the WNBA has been built on the backs of Black players.

"The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important," Clark said in the interview last week. "I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing."

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Clark’s reaction sparked a ton of backlash on social media.

Bird said on the latest episode of her podcast with Rapinoe, "A Touch More," that the anger around the White privilege comments proved something about her fans.

"Now this faction of her fanbase which we’ve discussed before that is now disgusted with her acknowledging is just showing they were never really here for basketball," Bird said. "… Which by the way just proves that there are issues with race in this country. Like, to me, that just proves it. And I think where I’ve landed is I’d almost want to pose some questions."

Bird then wondered whether there would have been any outrage about the incidents Clark was involved in during the course of her rookie season if she were Black.

"I personally think she deserves to be Time Athlete of the Year," Bird continued. "I think she earned that, and she’s like, yeah, ‘I’ve done enough to earn this,’ and I agree and also is acknowledging her White privilege and that is something that you know you’re talking about your experience, that’s something I’ve had to acknowledge in my experience. I’ve won the championships, I’ve done the things, and there’s this other part to it that I’m also going to acknowledge. 

"And that to me is just is the world we live in and to say it doesn’t exist is really saying you don’t live in the same world, or you’re not seeing the same things and that’s obviously the root of all the conversations that we see today, not just in women’s basketball, literally in our country period."

Bird added that, at the end of the day, her race did not score points.

CAITLIN CLARK'S JERSEY NUMBER TO BE RETIRED BY IOWA

Rapinoe took a shot at conservatives in her assessment.

"I think what Caitlin did in her quotes, or in the article, was speak explicitly about her White privilege, like and that is what is receiving so much criticism or backlash, and like that is the lesson," the former NWSL star said. "So, you know, for conservative media coming at her now that obviously they’re just showing their whole a--.

"If fans are upset about her saying that and just acknowledging what is true, I think that says a lot. But I think the more that you speak directly to it the clearer it becomes what your stance is, and then you can’t be used in that way. It doesn’t really leave your beliefs or your stance as a white player to any sort of interpretation. 

"You’re taking the space and owning the narrative yourself. I think another thing that I’m constantly trying to think of and be aware of, and I want other people to be aware of also, anytime there is a positive story in women’s sports, the area, the sort of quote unquote area is immediately flooded with divisive narratives.

"But for all of us to just be aware of that, that anytime there’s anything positive or any honestly just any news at all in women’s sports, it’s just like immediately flooded with insanity and really divisive narratives. And I think to that, like when we as athletes are being used, when is your narrative, when is your likes being used, when are the things that you’re saying being used.

"You know the sort of like ecosystem of people in women’s sports that really do care about whether it’s you know athletes, fans, owners, people that work with teams, whatever. Like when are you being used by this like, sort of meta narrative or these like divisive narratives and to be really smart about that."

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The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team announced it will retire Caitlin Clark's jersey Feb. 2. 

Clark's No. 22, which she wears for the Indiana Fever, will hang from the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena after a ceremony honoring the program's most accomplished player. 

Clark is expected to be in attendance, and the event will be broadcast on FOX. 

"I'm forever proud to be a Hawkeye, and Iowa holds a special place in my heart that is bigger than just basketball," Clark said in the announcement. 

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"It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up in the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I've admired for so long."

In four seasons at Iowa, Clark broke the NCAA's all-time scoring record among both men's and women's players, leading the team to the NCAA championship game twice. She was also a consensus National Player of the Year as a junior and senior.

Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz and famed alumni Henry and Patricia Tippie praised Clark's contributions in a joint statement. 

WNBA STAR CAITLIN CLARK NAMED TIME ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AFTER HISTORIC SEASON: ‘JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE’

"Caitlin Clark has not only redefined excellence on the court but has also inspired countless young athletes to pursue their dreams with passion and determination," the statement said. 

"Her remarkable achievements have left an indelible mark on the University of Iowa and the world of women’s basketball. Retiring her number is a testament to her extraordinary contributions and a celebration of her legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. Hawkeye fans are eager to say thank you for so many incredible moments."

Clark was selected with the No. 1 pick in this year's WNBA Draft by the Fever after her Iowa career. 

As a WNBA rookie in 2024, Clark set records for the most points and 3-pointers by a rookie in league history, while also becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double, a feat she accomplished twice. Her 337 assists not only were the most by a rookie, they were the most by any player ever in a single season.

Clark's jersey retirement will come just two months after Time magazine named her the publication's Athlete of The Year. The decision prompted praise, but also criticism from some, including Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson, who recently wondered in a CNN interview why Clark was chosen for the honor and not the entire WNBA. Johnson suggested it had to do with Clark's race. 

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Caitlin Clark's Time magazine cover was something Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson did not seem to appreciate after a record-breaking WNBA season. 

Well, Clark's brother, Colin, appeared to send a jab back Johnson's way.

Colin Clark re-shared an old video from Front Office Sports on Sept. 19, which showed a record 20,711 fans in attendance at Capital One Arena in Washington for the Mystics’ game against his sister’s Indiana Fever. 

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It is the largest crowd to date in WNBA history, and the Mystics actually moved the game from its usual Entertainment and Sports Arena to the Capital One Arena to appease more fans in the 20,536-seat arena.

The WNBA saw its most-watched regular season in 24 years, while also seeing record attendance with a rookie class that was headlined by Clark, Angel Reese and others. 

WNBA OWNER QUESTIONS WHY CAITLIN CLARK WAS NAMED TIME ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, SUGGESTS IT WILL CAUSE RACISM

However, Clark’s presence as the No. 1 overall pick out of Iowa, where she already had a massive following as she became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, helped the WNBA’s viewership, social media engagement and more explode. 

"I’ve been able to captivate so many people that have never watched women’s sports, let alone women’s basketball, and turn them into fans," Clark told Time in her interview with the magazine for her Athlete of the Year cover.  

However, Johnson took exception with Time, believing the WNBA as a whole should have been highlighted instead of just Clark. 

"Why couldn’t they have put the WNBA on that cover and say, ‘The WNBA is the league of the year,’ because of all the talent that we have," Johnson said in her interview with CNN Sport this past Friday. 

"When you single out one player, it creates hard feelings, so now you’re starting to hear stories of racism within the WNBA, and I don’t want to hear that."

Johnson serves as vice chair of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals. 

"It has taken the WNBA almost 28 to get to the point where we are now, and this year something clicked with the WNBA, and it's because of the draft of the players that came in, it's not just Caitlin Clark, it's Reese," Johnson said. "We have so much talent out there that's so unrecognized, and I don't think we can just pin it on one player." 

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Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson spoke out against Time magazine for naming Caitlin Clark "Athlete of the Year" in an interview with CNN Sport on Friday, suggesting that the publication should have given the award to the entire WNBA.

Johnson even suggested the decision to give Clark the honor would incite feelings of "racism" within the league.

"Why couldn’t they have put the WNBA on that cover and say, ‘The WNBA is the league of the year,’ because of all the talent that we have," Johnson said. "When you single out one player, it creates hard feelings, so now you’re starting to hear stories of racism within the WNBA, and I don’t want to hear that."

Johnson went so far as to claim that Clark’s attention and the minting of the term "the Caitlin Clark effect," which has been associated with the attention she has brought to the league, is because of race.

"It’s the way media plays out race," Johnson said. "I feel really bad, because I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition they should have." 

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The owner also griped about the fact that Clark got a $28 million endorsement deal with Nike in April, which was the richest sponsorship contract for a women's basketball player.

"They would like to get the same kind of recognition. It all started with the whole Nike sponsorship that Caitlin got," Johnson said. "There are other players saying, ‘What about us?’"

Johnson is the Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the NBA's Washington Wizards and NHL's Washington Capitals. Her Mystics directly capitalized on Clark's popularity to net historic ticket sales at the end of the regular season this year. 

The Mystics' season finale against Clark's Indiana Fever was moved from the Mystics' home venue, the Entertainment and Sports Arena with just 4,200 seats, to the Wizards' venue, the Capital One Arena, which has a maximum capacity of 20,356 for basketball games. As a result, the Sept. 19 game between the Fever and Mystics was the most-attended WNBA regular season game in history, with 20,711 fans in attendance. 

The Las Vegas Aces pulled off a similar move when they hosted the Fever at the larger T-Mobile Arena for a July 2 game instead of playing in the relatively smaller Michelob ULTRA Arena. For that game, 20,366 fans showed up, representing the highest regular-season single-game attendance since 1999.

Still, Johnson opted to publicly denigrate and undermine the attention that Clark gets in the CNN interview. Johnson also suggested that the WNBA's increase in popularity was also because of other WNBA rookies from the 2024 season, including Chicago Sky star Angel Reese. 

WNBA STAR CAITLIN CLARK NAMED TIME ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AFTER HISTORIC SEASON: ‘JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE’

"It has taken the WNBA almost 28 to get to the point where we are now, and this year something clicked with the WNBA, and it's because of the draft of the players that came in, it's not just Caitlin Clark, it's Reese," Johnson said. "We have so much talent out there that's so unrecognized, and I don't think we can just pin it on one player." 

Johnson's Mystics did actually play a game against Reese's Sky at Capital One Arena this year as well, on June 6. However, that game only fetched 10,000 attendees – fewer than half the number at the game that featured Clark at the end of the season. 

Johnson, the first Black woman to have a stake in three professional sports teams, is just one of many figures in sports and media to cite race for Clark's popularity in a negative light. 

WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson has said Clark being White was a "huge thing" when it came to the rookie's popularity

In May, "The View" host Sunny Hostins said during an episode of that show that Clark's popularity was due, in part, to "white privilege." 

Journalist Jemele Hill insisted it was "naive" to say that Clark's race as a White person, and sexuality as a straight woman, did not play into her popularity in the WNBA, where the vast majority of players are Black and many are lesbian, during an interview with the Los Angeles Times in May. Hill also insisted that Clark's popularity with those attributes is "problematic."

Former FS1 and ESPN host Skip Bayless, who was one of Clark's harshest critics leading up the start of her WNBA career, admitted that he pretended not to be impressed by her skill out of "guilt," and not wanting to stir racial division.  He went so far as to suggest that Clark had become a "right-wing symbol" due to the fact that she is a White player excelling at the game of basketball. 

Clark has been forced to answer questions about her race and alleged racism by her fans multiple times since coming into WNBA this year, including in the Time magazine profile that Johnson criticized. 

"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a White person, there is privilege," Clark told Time. "A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them."

Johnson says she doesn't believe that Clark had to make the statement, but that she "applauds" the phenom for doing so. 

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Caitlin Clark's recent comment about benefiting from White privilege in the WNBA has fueled hostile online debates since it was published in Time magazine on Tuesday. Former NCAA swimmer and OutKick host Riley Gaines got in on the action in her latest online debate with a left-wing figure. 

This time, Gaines took on journalist Jemele Hill, who has been a staunch critic of Clark and those who have given the WNBA phenom credit for elevating the league. 

Hill threw the first punch against Gaines, re-sharing a post on X, where the former swimmer criticized Clark for the comments. 

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"You holler all the time about supporting and ‘protecting’ women, and yet the moment that Caitlin Clark expresses appreciation and respect for the Black women in the WNBA (many of whom she grew up watching and idolizing), suddenly you’re acting like a disappointed parent," Hill wrote. 

Gaines quickly clapped back, responding to Hill's post by mocking the idea of "White privilege" in the WNBA. 

"'White privilege' in the WNBA is literally hilarious. Maybe you're like Sunny Hostin & think CC also has tall privilege, pretty privilege, and straight privilege," Gaines wrote. "Theres lots of Black players in the WNBA I love [and] respect too, but I don't admire them because they're Black. I admire them for their game. That's the difference." 

Gaines then doubled-down by re-sharing Hill's initial post with a screenshot of comments the journalist made in an interview with the Los Angeles Times back in May. In that article, Hill insisted it was "naive" to say Clark's race as a White person and sexuality as a straight woman did not play into her popularity in the WNBA, where the vast majority of players are Black and many are lesbian. 

In that article, Hill also insisted that Clark's popularity with those attributes are "problematic."

"Being a long-standing professional race baiter must be SO exhausting," Gaines quipped to Hill in response. 

In June, Hill said that the fact that Clark did not make the U.S. Paris Olympic women's basketball team was a "good thing for her" and that her exclusion "wasn't a snub." Hill also criticized the media for pointing out that the WNBA's playoff ratings dropped after Clark's Indiana Fever were eliminated in the first round, calling the headlines "irresponsible." 

When Clark made her latest comments about benefiting from White privilege with Time magazine, Hill made a post on X, seemingly mocking the player's fans who disagreed. 

RILEY GAINES REPEATEDLY TEARS INTO AOC FOR TAKING PRONOUNS OUT OF X BIO AFTER ADVOCATING FOR TRANS ATHLETES

"If you’re mad at something so obvious, that means you were never a real fan of hers on the WNBA, you just liked her as long as she could be your avatar to hate on Black and queer women," Hill wrote on Wednesday. 

Then, after picking the fight with Gaines on the topic, Hill went so far as to make it personal. 

After Gaines' comment about Hill being a professional race-baiter, Hill responded with a message mocking the former swimmer for an incident when she tied with trans athlete Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA women's swimming championships.

"Girl, you need to thank Lia Thomas every day of your life for helping you get famous, otherwise you would have been just a decent college swimmer that no one knew. You wrote the book on grifting — not me," Hill wrote.

Gaines' infamous tie to Thomas in 2022 helped ignite a national conversation about biological males competing as trans athletes against women and girls. Gaines quickly became nationally-known for the incident and has devoted her platform to advocating for the protection of female athletes from trans inclusion in competition and in locker rooms. 

Gaines is also leading a lawsuit against the NCAA with other female athletes, accusing the governing body of violating their Title IX rights due to its policies on gender identity. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, details the shock Gaines and other swimmers felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Thomas at the 2022 championships in Atlanta.

Additionally, Gaines did not let Hill's comment about her past slide on Thursday. 

"How deeply regressive [and] utterly misogynistic for Jemele Hill to tell me to thank a man for the platform I have. Thank him for what? Violating us in the locker room? Stealing a national title from a deserving woman? Indirectly stripping us of our 1A rights? Just say you hate women," Gaines wrote in her response.

That was the last message that was sent in the exchange at the time of publication. 

It would not be the first time Gaines had the final say in an X debate with a left-leaning opponent. 

In a September spat with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Gaines argued the notion that Vice President Kamala Harris has done a "good job" handling the border crisis. 

Gaines ended up with the last word in that debate, as Cuban did not respond to Gaines' thread when she brought up that Harris' proposed border bill included funding for Ukraine and Israel and that more than 320,000 migrant children went missing while crossing the border during Harris' handling of the border. 

Gaines also got in on a viral roast session of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. on Nov. 14, after it was discovered the congresswoman removed pronouns from her X bio. Gaines made multiple posts shredding Ocasio-Cortez a week after the congresswoman criticized Green Party vice presidential candidate Butch Ware for standing against trans athletes in women's sports. 

Gaines took aim at Harris herself after the losing presidential candidate posted a surprise video on social media to her supporters. 

"Now do you understand why she didn't go on Joe Rogan lol," Gaines wrote.

Each of Gaines' spats with the liberal figures has been met with roaring engagement from her followers. 

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It goes without saying that Caitlin Clark has led the WNBA into another stratosphere.

Clark's presence after being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever led to historic viewership and attendance numbers.

And if you missed out on your chance to see her through the primary ticket market, the secondary market was hot and heavy.

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StubHub saw wild numbers in WNBA ticket sales, most notably for Clark's Indiana Fever.

According to StubHub, total sales for the 2024 WNBA regular season were up nearly 10 times compared to the 2023 season, with every team seeing an increase in sales.

But no team saw more growth than the Fever, who had 90 times more tickets sold on StubHub this season than in 2023. The team with the second-highest increase was Angel Reese's Chicago Sky, and the Fever's sales were nearly double (93% more).

CAITLIN CLARK ADMITS FEELING 'PRIVILEGE' AS A WHITE PERSON, SAYS WNBA WAS 'BUILT ON' BLACK PLAYERS

Several WNBA playoff games without Clark still had fewer viewers than Clark's regular-season games, and the Clark-Reese battles had viewership that hadn't been seen in over two decades.

Clark was named the Rookie of the Year for her historic campaign during which she set the record for the most assists in one season in league history.

Clark carried the Fever to a playoff appearance after a slow start, and she quickly became a double-double machine. She even set a single-game record with 19 assists. She also became the first rookie to record a triple-double, registering two of them.

She received the most votes for the All-Star Game and was just the fifth rookie in league history to make the All-WNBA first-team. 

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Four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes has been one of Caitlin Clark’s most outspoken critics.

But Swoopes was left speechless during a recent podcast appearance after being asked about the Indiana Fever star’s remarks about her privilege as a White athlete in an interview with Time magazine after being named Athlete of the Year. 

Swoopes, who was the first player ever signed to the WNBA, admitted on the "Gil’s Arena" podcast Wednesday that Clark receiving the honor was "great" for the league, but she questioned the criteria for what went into Time’s selection. 

"I don’t think I’m surprised. I’m curious to know who the other candidates were. But the fact that that’s the very first WNBA player to ever win Time magazine Athlete of the Year is pretty special.

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"My question is — like the criteria — is it based off her performance on the court, which, yeah, she had a great year. Or is it more about the impact that she had on the game this season.

"I think it's great, not just for her. I think it's great for the league, right? Like everybody talked about the recognition she brought to the W this season, and, so, for her to be Time magazine Athlete of the Year I think it's really great for the league." 

CAITLIN CLARK ADMITS FEELING 'PRIVILEGE' AS A WHITE PERSON, SAYS WNBA WAS 'BUILT ON' BLACK PLAYERS

But Swoopes had less to say when she was asked what she thought of Clark’s admission to the magazine that she benefited from her privilege. 

"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a White person, there is privilege," Clark said in the interview. 

"A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing." 

When asked during Wednesday’s podcast about those remarks, Swoopes said nothing. 

She appeared to raise an eyebrow and nod before the topic was changed. 

Swoopes has faced criticism in the past over her hot takes on Clark. In September, Swoopes said she didn’t think Clark was "dominating" the league. Clark was later named WNBA Rookie of the Year. 

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WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark said during an interview with Time magazine that Taylor Swift invited her to watch a Kansas City Chiefs game.

The publication named Clark its Athlete of The Year, reporting on her interactions with Swift in recent months. Clark said she met Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in person after attending two shows on the singer's Eras Tour.

"People are just going crazy that I’m there," Clark said. "I thought people would be so in their own world, ready to see Taylor. And it was just completely the opposite."

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Swift's invitation to watch a Chiefs game would give Clark the opportunity to watch her favorite team with her favorite musical artist. Clark has previously said Swift is her favorite artist and welcomed Swift to the Chiefs fan base when the singer's relationship with Kelce went public in September 2023. 

The invite also came during a year in which Swift has been visibly distant from Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kelce's teammate, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, compared to last season. 

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE'S IMPACT ON MEN'S BASKETBALL

Swift stood or sat alongside Brittany in the same suite for nearly every game last year. However, this year, Swift was only seen with Mahomes twice at games — Oct. 7 against the Saints and Nov. 4 against the Buccaneers. 

The duo made headlines at the Chiefs' first game against the Ravens when they sat in separate suites to open the season. The two sat separately after Brittany incited backlash for publicly liking a post by Donald Trump on Instagram. Swift fan groups on social media were partially responsible for circulating screenshots of Brittany's like of Trump's post. 

Trump even weighed in on the controversy after Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president Sept. 10. In an interview on "Fox & Friends" the next day, Trump said he liked Brittany "much better" than Swift. 

After Trump sent a post on Truth Social that said "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!," many of her fans called on Mahomes to disavow all of her support for Trump. 

However, Mahomes never did that. She simply kept going to Chiefs games, sometimes sitting beside Swift and sometimes sitting with someone else, including model Paige Buechele, the wife of Chiefs backup quarterback Shane Buechele, in a game against the Buffalo Bills Nov. 17. 

Clark declined to endorse any political candidate before the recent election, but she did like the Instagram post Swift used to endorse Harris. Clark advocated for athletes to encourage fans to vote when asked about the like. 

Clark was previously placed next to Swift on the cover of Time magazine's recent Inspiring Women special edition issue that featured eight women in positions of leadership, including multiple athletes. 

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After often remaining silent about her name being used in cultural disputes, Caitlin Clark has spoken up.

The WNBA phenom was named Time's Athlete of the Year after putting women's basketball and women's sports on the map.

After she entered the league, there were several comments made about her being White.

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WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson said Clark being White was a "huge thing" when it came to Clark's popularity. Angel Reese even said there had been "a lot of racism" from Iowa and Indiana Fever fans. Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington, who poked Clark in the eye during a Connecticut playoff win over the Fever, previously criticized Clark for not doing more to call out racism.

In her discussion with Time, Clark seemed to agree with Wilson to an extent.

"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a White person, there is privilege," Clark told Time. "A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. 

"The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing." 

WNBA STAR CAITLIN CLARK NAMED TIME ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AFTER HISTORIC SEASON: ‘JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE’

In June, Clark said she was unbothered by people using her name to push narratives.

"It's not something I can control. I don't put too much thought and time into thinking about things like that. To be honest, I don't see a lot of it," Clark said at the time.

"Like I've said, basketball's my job. Everything on the outside, I can't control that. So, I'm not going to spend time thinking about that. People can talk about what they want to talk about, create conversations about whatever it is, but I think, for myself, I'm just here to play basketball. I'm here to have fun. I'm here to help my team win. We've won three games, feel like we've been in a position to win a few more than that. My focus is on helping us do that. I don't pay much mind to all of that, to be honest."

Clark said in September racist fans are "trolls."

"Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, disrespectful or hurtful comments and threats," she said at the time.

Clark was named the league's Rookie of the Year and helped the league draw historic attendance and viewership.

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Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who captivated basketball fans long before her arrival in the WNBA, was named Time’s Athlete of the Year on Tuesday following her historic rookie season. 

Clark, 22, capped off a phenomenal rookie season packed with record-breaking performances and crowds with a playoff appearance – the first for Indiana since 2016 – and was named WNBA Rookie of the Year.

When asked by Time magazine how she would summarize this past year, Clark responded with one word: historic. 

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"I've been able to captivate so many people that have never watched women's sports, let alone women's basketball, and turn them into fans," she told the magazine. 

Clark said the noise surrounding the league this past year felt "powerful." 

"Instantly, everybody goes crazy," she continued. "People are invested in the game, they love the game, and that's what makes it so fun for me. These people aren't supporting women's sports to check a box. It’s going to be the new normal."

While women’s college basketball fans already recognized her, Clark became a household name during the 2023 March Madness tournament by leading Iowa to its first national championship game in program history for the women’s team. A rivalry between LSU’s Angel Reese, which would carry on into their professional careers, was born. 

CAITLIN CLARK RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN QUARTER OF WNBA REVENUE WHILE MAKING LESS THAN $80K, EXPERT SAYS

Iowa would fall to LSU, but Clark and the Hawkeyes would run it back the following year. 

In her senior year, Clark would earn more honors, including eclipsing Pete Maravich as the NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader. She was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever just a month later and her dominance continued. 

Clark wrapped up her rookie season with more records in games played before sold out crowds (some at NBA arenas) and she would be crowned Rookie of the Year after being named an All-Star and just the fifth rookie in league history to make the All-WNBA First-Team. 

But her success came amid controversy. Narratives around race, a divide between the old guard and the new, and even an Olympic snub surrounded Clark. 

"I tell people I feel like the most controversial person," Clark told Time. "But I am not. It’s just because of all the storylines that surround me. I literally try to live and treat everybody in the same exact respectful, kind way. It just confuses me at times."

Clark has had an undeniable impact on the landscape of not just the WNBA, but women’s sports in general. The growth of the league and the focus on women’s sports is only the beginning. 

"Personally, I'm just scratching the surface of what I can do and hopefully how I can change the world and impact people," she told Time magazine. 

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Caitlin Clark was among the Kansas City Chiefs fans who held their breath as kicker Matthew Wright’s game-swimming field goal went off the post and through the uprights on Sunday night.

Wright’s kick clinched the AFC West division for the Chiefs as they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers for the second time this season.

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Clark was also ecstatic.

"Bank is open …. CHIEFSSSSSSSSSSS," the Indiana Fever star wrote on X.

Clark has been a longtime Chiefs fan and expressed as much last year when she appeared on ESPN’s "Manningcast," when the team took on the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I’ve been a Chiefs fan since I was a young girl,’’ she said, via USA Today. "My brother was a Chiefs fan, my dad was a Chiefs fan, I had cousins in Kansas City who were Chiefs fans.

"So, there was an embarrassing picture of me in all Chiefs gear floating around earlier today.’’

CHIEFS WIN AFC WEST FOR 9TH STRAIGHT SEASON AFTER GAME-WINNING FIELD GOAL GOES THEIR WAY

For the Chiefs, their reign as AFC West champs increased to nine straight years. This year has been a bit more challenging as injuries have plagued the offense as the team has won multiple games by just a handful of points.

"I am proud of the guys, I mean the coaches (and) when (chairman & CEO) Clark (Hunt) gives us the opportunity to do this, or (president) Mark Donovan and (general manager) Brett Veach," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. "I mean we are all in this together trying to make this – and it's not easy, it's not an easy thing. Every year is a little different on how we’ve gotten there. 

"I’m proud of our guys for just hanging in there (because) we’ve had so many tight games more so than some of these other years. The guys keep hanging in there and feeling like good things are going to happen and keep battling."

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It was a historic year for the WNBA in 2024 with viewership skyrocketing, the emergence of new stars like Caitlin Clark leading to greater attendance and merchandise purchases and social media engagement flourishing. 

There’s no doubt the addition of new stars in the league like Clark, Angel Reese and others, combined with perennial All-Stars like A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, strengthened women’s basketball. 

But for one WNBA prospect, the popularity of the game this year is just "the tip of the iceberg."

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"Now that the WNBA has finally gotten its spark and this is the first year that it really popped off, it’s only going to get bigger from here," LSU star Flau’jae Johnson told Fox News Digital while discussing her NIL partnership with the Unrivaled basketball league co-founded by Stewart and Napheesa Collier. 

"There’s going to be more stars, more storylines, more basketball players, more teams. That’s the most exciting part is that the league is still growing. It hasn’t even hit that peak yet."

Johnson is rare when it comes to college athletes in today’s NIL space. She prides herself on being one of the most marketable players with her budding rap career along with her social media influence. 

But make no mistake, this is a woman who wakes up at 5 a.m. to get shots up to start her day. And she knows that two years from now, when she’s eligible for the WNBA Draft, she will be there waiting to join the pros. 

CAITLIN CLARK RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN QUARTER OF WNBA REVENUE WHILE MAKING LESS THAN $80K, EXPERT SAYS

And when she does, Johnson wants to be making history. 

"It’s so much that’s going to come with this. There’s going to be first-time, million-dollar contracts. There’s going to be first-time this and first-time that. There’s going to be so much more history broken," she said excitedly. 

Johnson believes the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball national championship was a turning point for the sport. It was a game in which she helped the Tigers beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes.

Johnson is the latest example of stars being born before they even reach the pros.

"I think college basketball really took it through the roof if you ask me. If it wasn’t for the surge that year that we won the national championship, it wouldn’t be a thing. It would be a thing, but it wouldn’t be as big as it was now," Johnson said. 

"That came from college, and it led to the pros with Caitlin and Angel going to the league. And it’s only going to keep doing that."

Along with Johnson, take UConn’s Paige Bueckers. She also has an NIL partnership with Unrivaled, and some believe she can have the same effect as Clark on the WNBA. She will likely go No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 Draft. 

And while they may be considered the "next generation," they’re already having an impact on those coming after them. 

"It kind of hit me yesterday," Johnson said after her latest game. "One of my fans tagged me in a TikTok, and a girl had a big [number] four iced-out chain, and she came to our game for her birthday. I’m like, ‘That’s the most important day in your life. Your birthday.'

"We played a terrible team, blew them out by 100 points. She was so happy, and we were able to interact and all of that. But that just goes to show, like, she took her time to do that. My presence was valuable enough to her. So, I feel like I have to do more in that space."

Johnson has dipped her toes in just about every space she can, which requires a strong work ethic to make sure she can help lead the Tigers to another national championship. 

But to say the future is bright for women’s basketball would be an understatement. Johnson said there is finally respect for how great these women can be on the hardwood.

"It's always been there," Johnson said of stars in the WNBA. "Stewie’s always been. Sue Bird’s always been there. It’s like the time is now, and once the time is now, you put all the resources, you put all the investments in it to make it bigger and better for the next generation. All the girls are going to do is get better. They’re going to be more confident watching all the girls in front of them."

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Caitlin Clark's throne at the top of college basketball history may soon be history itself. 

The 19-year-old JuJu Wakins, a sophomore at USC, is on pace to smash many of the career records Clark set at Iowa. Watkins has arguably one-upped Clark's collegiate start as the best in the sport's history so far. 

Clark holds the record for most career points scored in history, among both men and women players with 3,951. But Watkins is on pace to take that jewelry for herself, with 1,142 already in just 38 career games. Clark took 40 games to hit that mark. 

In mid-November, Watkins crossed the 1,000-point marker two games before Clark as well. Watkins has consistently maintained the edge in scoring pace since then. 

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With 376 total field goals, Watkins is on pace to finish with a larger total than Clark in that statistic as well. Watkins had a staggering 301 total field goals her freshman year, while Clark had just 266 as a freshman. 

This season, Watkins leads the NCAA with a .476 field goal percentage. If she holds that number throughout the end of the year, it will be a better field goal percentage than Clark ever had in a single season at Iowa. Granted, Watkins is only eight games into the season. 

The biggest difference between the two players is scoring approach. Clark is undeniably the better 3-point shooter, holding the NCAA's all-time 3-point record that Watkins is nowhere near on pace to touching. Watkins does most of her damage from within the arc, and is a better finisher in the paint. 

Watkins scored the vast majority of her 920 points her freshman year off of a nation-leading 553 2-point shots. The most 2-point shots Clark ever made in a single college season was 359 her sophomore year in 2021-22. 

Playing so strongly in the paint has also put Watkins at the foul line at a historic pace. Watkins leads the nation in free throws with 45 after leading it as a freshman with a staggering 241. The most Clark ever achieved in a season was 239, and that wasn't even until her junior year in 2022-23. 

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK'S IMPACT ON MEN'S BASKETBALL

Another critical stat that Watkins has vastly outpaced Clark in so far is steals. Watkins leads the country with 22 through eight games after 78 as a freshman last year. The most Clark ever had in a season was 68, and that wasn't even until her historic senior year in 2023-24. 

However, Watkins will likely not come close to catching Clark in assist numbers. Clark led the nation in assists every year of her college career, starting with 214 in her freshman year in 2020-21, nearly double that of Watkins' 112 as a freshman . 

Unlike Clark, who grew up in suburban Iowa, Watkins was born and raised in Los Angeles. 

Watkins says her biggest sports "hero" is Lakers star LeBron James, according to her USC team page. James came to play for Watkins' hometown Lakers in the 2018 offseason, just two weeks before Watkins' 13th birthday. 

And like LeBron James, Watkins has represented the U.S. in international competition, having competed for the U.S. U16 and U17 national teams. Watkins won gold medals with USC at 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, and even had a signature 28-point performance in a gold medal game against Canada.

Clark was famously snubbed from the recent U.S. women's basketball team at the Paris Olympics this past summer. 

Watkins won't be eligible for the WNBA Draft until 2027. Her first season against Clark will likely be that year, when Clark is in the fourth year of her career. 

One year later, the Olympics will come to Watkins' hometown of Los Angeles. Whether Watkins will be selected for the first Olympics of her pro career may be a topic of contentious conversation four years from now. She would technically be one year ahead in her pro career than Clark was when Clark was denied an Olympic spot for Paris. 

It is very possible they could be teammates together in the 2028 LA Olympics. 

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Indiana University finance professor Ryan Brewer, who specializes in valuation, told the Indy Star that he estimated Caitlin Clark to be responsible for 26.5% of the WNBA's league-wide activity for the 2024 season, including attendance, merchandise sales and television. 

Brewer went so far as to estimate that one of every six tickets sold at a WNBA arena can be attributed to Clark.

Meanwhile, Clark's WNBA salary this past season was $76,535. Her salary in 2025 will be $78,066. 

It's not just the WNBA that is cashing in big off of Clark's underpaid presence, according to Brewer. The professor also estimated that Clark brings more than $36 million to the city of Indianapolis' economy per year. 

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"The numbers are so staggering," Brewer told the outlet. "They don't even seem real."

Clark's impact on the WNBA product and earning potential showed up in very clear indicators throughout the season, especially in the playoffs. 

After Clark drew a WNBA record 1.84 million viewers to her first playoff game against the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 22, while competing with an NFL Sunday, she followed it up with another record audience of 2.54 million viewers for Game 2. 

Clark and the Indiana Fever lost both those games, however, sending Clark home for the offseason. 

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK'S IMPACT ON MEN'S BASKETBALL

After Clark's team was eliminated, the first game between the Aces and Liberty, a rematch of last year's WNBA finals between two of the league's most popular and successful teams, drew an audience of 929,000, ESPN announced – 50% less than the Fever's Game 1 against the Sun.

Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Sun-Lynx series had an audience of just around 650,000. 

Both of those games have also fallen well behind some of Clark's regular season games in terms of viewership. In early September, Clark’s Indiana Fever played in front of a TV audience of 1.26 million viewers, in a game against the Minnesota Lynx that was played at the same time as a Week-1 Friday night NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. 

In Clark's first regular season finale against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 19, a total of 20,711 fans that showed up at Capital One Arena set a new record for the highest-attended WNBA regular-season contest. 

Clark made the Fever the most-watched team in the WNBA by a landslide in her rookie year, as the 14 most-watched WNBA games of the season all included the Fever.

Clark's teammate, point guard Kelsey Mitchell, told reporters in September that Clark is the reason she has more attention and fans. 

"I think the reality of it is that I don't think people would know without [Clark]," Mitchell said when asked about getting more attention and fans this season. "She's done an unbelievable job of bringing her own fans and people that support her, but, for me, I kinda laugh at it and I embrace it at the same time because I always flew under the radar. I've always kind of been that person that is very conservative, very introvert, so now I get to see the flip side of it."

Shooting guard Erica Wheeler told reporters that Clark's presence this season has resulted in the team needing to be more resilient to scrutiny. 

"All we do is have fun with Caitlin Clark, who never takes anything seriously," Wheeler said. "I tell people all the time she’s really a kid at heart.… There’s moments where we need to be serious, and we are serious, but a majority of the time, we’re having fun. Because you gotta understand, the outside world was really trying to get inside this building. We just didn’t let it."

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The 2025 WNBA regular season schedule was released on Monday, and the latest clash between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will be happening right away. 

Clark’s Indiana Fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky will be going head-to-head to open their respective seasons on May 17 – one day after the league’s opening slate the day before. 

This rivalry that goes back to their college days at Iowa and LSU quickly translated to the pros, as drama was seen in the Rookie of the Year race as well as their matchups on the court.

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Clark went on to win Rookie of the Year this past season after setting numerous rookie and league records, but Reese quickly made her presence known as a fellow WNBA All-Star by impacting Chicago in her inaugural season as well. 

Four meetings between the Fever and Sky were had last season, and each was more anticipated than the next as these two tried to best one another to help notch a win for their squad. 

But it was Clark’s Fever who pulled off three wins out of the four meetings. In those games, though, Reese tallied more points and rebounds than Clark, though the floor general did best Reese in assists in all four games. 

CAITLIN CLARK IS A BIGGER STAR THAN NBA'S BEST PLAYERS, FAMED PODCAST HOST SAYS

There were also some tense moments in those games, beginning with Reese’s teammate, Chennedy Carter’s flagrant foul on Clark early in the season that made national headlines and sparked tons of sports debate after the veteran guard checked the rookie to the ground in what many described as a cheap shot. 

Then, on June 16, Clark was going in for a layup against the Sky when Reese came flying in to try to swat the ball away. Instead, her arm smacked Clark in the head, and she went down hard. 

A flagrant 1 foul was called on Reese, who had to defend herself after the game, saying she was simply trying to make a play on the ball and not trying to hurt Clark. 

Clark would say the same thing, understanding Reese was just trying to help her team in the moment. 

Their performances, both in college and in the pros, have made each of them reach celebrity status that transcends sports. Reese even said on the opening episode of her podcast that the 2023 national championship game between her Tigers and Clark’s Hawkeyes "changed my life forever."

But that change has sometimes come with hate. 

"I think it's really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully," Reese said. "But sometimes it's very disrespectful. I think there's a lot of racism when it comes to it."

There’s no doubt Clark and Reese have each played a significant role in growing the game of women’s basketball and women’s sports in general, which led to the WNBA wasting no time getting them on the court immediately for their latest rivalry chapter. 

Also worth noting about the WNBA schedule release is the newest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, who tip off for their first-ever game on May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks. 

The New York Liberty, winners of the 2024 WNBA title, will see their ring ceremony on May 17 before their matchup with the Las Vegas Aces.

The Fever and Sky will have five meetings in the 2025 season.

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Caitlin Clark is the biggest name in women's basketball and women's sports.

Is she a bigger star, though, than some NBA stars? 

Bill Simmons says she is.

The media mogul asked whether Clark was a bigger "under-30" star than any NBA star yet to turn 30.

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Those names would include guys like Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards, to name a few. And those guys aren't considered the best under 30. Those players are widely regarded as the game's best regardless of age.

But two talking heads say it's not even an argument. 

"I literally did not care about women’s college basketball 10 years ago in any way, shape or form. So, I think some things have moved forward, just the quality of play is more fun to watch. She seems to be some sort of catalyst that is like before or after, and now we’re in the after," Simmons said.

"Her stardom in a way has changed many conversations about sports, I feel like, especially women’s sports," Chuck Klosterman added. 

ANGEL REESE FIERCELY DEFENDS HER POOR SHOOTING PERCENTAGE IN ONLINE DEBATE WITH X USER

"Part of it is, it’s real difficult now for a guy to become famous in basketball at the collegiate level. It still seems very plausible for a woman."

Some of Clark's regular-season games drew bigger audiences than playoff games without her, and her matchups with Angel Reese drew some of the biggest audiences the league has seen.

On top of that, NBA ratings have been down, which was not the case before Clark became a pro.

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Caitlin Clark is investing in a bid for a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team based in Cincinnati, the investment group for FC Cincinnati announced. 

"The NWSL Cincinnati bid team is thrilled that Caitlin Clark has joined our ownership group in pursuit of bringing women’s professional soccer to our city," a team statement said. 

"Her passion for the sport, commitment to elevating women’s sports in and around the Greater Cincinnati region and influence as an athlete and a role model for women and girls around the world make her a vital part of our compelling bid to become the 16th team in the NWSL."

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Cincinnati is one of three finalists for an expansion bid, joining Cleveland and Denver.

Clark's contribution to the bid has not been revealed publicly.

Sportico data from 2024 puts the average value of an NWSL franchise at $104 million. Angel City FC in Los Angeles is the league's most valuable franchise at $250 million, while the Chicago Red Stars are the lowest valued team at $53 million. 

If Clark's investment is anywhere close to 1% of a typical franchise's total value, it would be an investment that easily eclipses her entire annual WNBA salary. 

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK'S IMPACT ON MEN'S BASKETBALL

Clark made $76,535 in the first year of her WNBA rookie contract. Next year she will make $78,066. 

Clark had a chance to supplement her basketball income by joining the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, which will be played in the WNBA offseason. Unrivaled was reportedly offering Clark north of $1 million. But Clark turned it down. She also turned down opportunities to play pro basketball in Europe like other WNBA players. 

Clark participated in a brief amateur golf stint this offseason but has otherwise focused on attending Taylor Swift concerts or other sporting events like college basketball games coached by her boyfriend at Butler University. 

She won't report to training camp for her second WNBA season until April 2025. 

However, Clark is believed to have plenty of other income streams in endorsement deals. 

Clark has an endorsement deal with Nike valued at about $28 million over eight years. This agreement includes promotional appearances, product endorsement and Nike marketing campaigns.

She has additional deals with Gatorade, Wilson Sporting Goods, Bose, State Farm, Buick, H&R Block, Topps, Shoot-A-Way and Goldman Sachs.

She even has her own cereal with Hy-Vee, "Caitlin's Crunch Time." 

Not much else is known about Clark's lifestyle because she keeps a low profile on her spending habits. However, everyone will know if she's on the hook for her investment in the Cincinnati FC bid if the city ends up winning the expansion franchise. Clark's presence as an investor could sway the decision. 

Clark was recently pictured next to Swift on the cover of Time magazine's Inspiring Women special edition issue that featured eight women in positions of leadership, including multiple athletes.

The 15 most-watched WNBA games last season all included Clark.

So, if that earns her investment group the NWSL team, then her financial future could depend heavily on the willingness of the people of Cincinnati to embrace a pro women's soccer franchise. 

The median household income in Cincinnati was $54,314 in 2023. In the Cincinnati metro area, the median household income was $75,062 in 2022, which is slightly higher than the national median. More than half of Cincinnati residents are women.

Cincinnati does not have a WNBA team. However, it does have a men's pro soccer team, Major League Soccer's FC Cincinnati. The only pro sports teams in the city are the NFL's Bengals and MLB's Reds.

Clark's biggest rival in the WNBA has already admitted to struggling with personal finances since becoming a professional. 

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese admitted in an October social media post she can't afford to pay her rent on her WNBA salary. Reese's rookie salary with the Sky was $73,439, while her $8,000-a-month rent costs her $96,000 a year.

"I just hope y'all know," Reese told her audience, "the WNBA don't pay my bills at all. I don't even think that pays one of my bills. Literally. I'm trying to think of my rent for where I stay at. Let me do the math real quick."

Once Reese figured out her salary and what she was paying, she laughed, adding, "I'm living beyond my means!"

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The groundbreaking 3-on-3 women's basketball league co-founded by two WNBA veterans will not feature one of the games biggest stars in its inaugural season. 

ESPN reported Caitlin Clark won't be a part of the 36-player Unrivaled Basketball League, which still has two "wild-card" slots to fill for its first season. 

Tip-off for the league co-founded by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier is scheduled for Jan. 17.

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Unrivaled revealed rosters and coaches for its six-team league, along with its 2025 schedule, Wednesday. All of its games will be played in Miami, and more than 45 primetime regular season matchups will be aired on TNT and truTV, while also being streamed on Max. 

The six teams will be the Lunar Owls, led by Collier; Mist, which Stewart is a part of; Laces; Phantom; Rose; and Vinyl. 

UNRIVALED BASKETBALL LEAGUE BRINGS IN ANOTHER CAITLIN CLARK FRIEND IN HOPES OF WNBA PHENOM JOINING

It was rumored Unrivaled was trying to get Clark to join its ranks of top talent in a league where every player has a vested interest and equity in it. 

Front Office Sports reported the WNBA Rookie of the Year received a "Messi-like offer" to join the league, referring to soccer great Lionel Messi, who signed a generous contract to join Inter Miami FC in Major League Soccer. 

The offer is reportedly more than $1 million, plus revenue-sharing opportunities from the league. To put that into perspective, the Fever paid Clark $76,535 this year. 

Among the talent already set to play in two months are Kelsey Plum, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Kahleah Copper, Aliyah Boston, Arike Ogunbowale and Skylar Diggins-Smith. 

Two close friends of Clark, Kate Martin and Lexie Hull, are also a part of the league, which led many to speculate Unrivaled is trying to bring in familiar faces to entice Clark to join. 

Clark has had a busy offseason despite reportedly not joining this league. She was a part of The Annika LPGA Tournament pro-am, where she showed off her golf skills, while being announced as a guest speaker at a women's sports awards luncheon on Feb. 4 to celebrate Nationals Girls and Women in Sports Day. 

Clark was announced as someone joining David Letterman for his annual lecture series at his alma mater, Ball State, in Indiana. 

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During her time at Iowa, it was not unusual for Caitlin Clark to voice her displeasure with officials during a given game. 

The WNBA Rookie of the Year returned to the state of Iowa to watch her former team take on Drake in Des Moines. Clark was a little farther away from referees on Sunday than she had been for the past few years when she was wearing a Hawkeyes uniform. 

But sitting in the stands instead of sitting on a players' bench did not seem to stop Clark from speaking out when she noticed a call she did not necessarily agree with.

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Clark was a few rows behind the courtside seats and at times appeared to have a look of dismay on her face when a call went against her former team.

LPGA TOUR FINALLY RESPONDS TO CAITLIN CLARK'S MESSAGE, 3 YEARS AFTER GHOSTING WNBA STAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA

At one moment in particular, video posted to social media showed Clark shaking her head and yelling something at the game officials. She also raised her hands toward the sky out of apparent frustration.

The 86-73 win over Drake secured Iowa's fourth win of the season. The undefeated Hawkeyes are scheduled to take on Kansas on Nov. 20.

The Indiana Fever guard has had a busy offseason. Aside from basketball games, Clark has also been spotted at football games and even participated in a golf Pro-Am this month.

Clark helped end the Fever's playoff drought this past WNBA season. After parting ways with Christie Sides following Indiana's postseason run, Stephanie White was selected as the Fever's next head coach. White previously served as the head coach from 2015 to 2016.

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