Caitlin Clark Carries WNBA, But League Still Won't Embrace Her, Critics Say
Three years after Caitlin Clark exploded onto the WNBA scene, the league is enjoying record attendance, skyrocketing TV ratings, and a landmark collective bargaining agreement that finally delivered the big pay raises players had long demanded. But critics say the league still refuses to give the Iowa native her due credit for sparking that transformation.
Veteran sportscaster Dan Dakich says the WNBA's resistance to embracing Clark as its transcendent star is baffling, especially given the economic windfall she has brought to the league.
Why does the WNBA fight Caitlin Clark's impact?
Speaking on his show, Dakich pointed to the historic parallels between Clark's arrival and the NBA's rise to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Caitlin Clark changed the WNBA forever: bigger audiences, bigger arenas, more eyeballs, more social media, everything. Why do they fight it so hard? Why can't they embrace it? Like, going back to Magic and Bird in the 80s. Or going back to Jordan. Why can't you just embrace it when you have a star, a transcendent star?” Dakich said.
Clark, who broke Pete Maravich's NCAA Division I all-time scoring record while starring at the University of Iowa, joined the Indiana Fever in 2024. Since then, the WNBA has seen unprecedented growth in every measurable category.
WNBA social media snub sparks controversy
The latest flashpoint came after the Fever's overtime win over the Atlanta Dream last weekend. Clark led the team with 26 points, including the game-sealing free throws in overtime.
Yet the WNBA's official X account chose to highlight performances from Allisha Gray, Kelsey Mitchell, and Angel Reese instead. Gray scored a career-high 32 points, and Mitchell hit big baskets in overtime for the Fever. Reese posted 15 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, despite missing a wide-open game-winner in regulation and shooting just 5-of-16 from the field.
Clark's stellar game got no mention.
“The NBA spent decades trying to get us to care about its product,” Dakich added. “Then Caitlin Clark showed up, and America finally cared. We do. We saw her in Iowa. We couldn't wait till she was here in Indianapolis. Now, three years later, the television audience is still up. People are going to games. We're talking about the WNBA constantly, not in a good way though. That's a major problem. Does anyone running or involved in the league actually know what to do with the attention?”
Stephen A. Smith: League resistant to its own 'cash cow'
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith agrees that Clark's arrival changed the WNBA's trajectory. But he says the league and some players have actively resisted her popularity rather than embracing it.
“I don't give a damn what sport it is, but when you can find a great white hope, that's a beautiful thing economically because there's more white folks in America than any other group at this particular moment in time,” Smith explained. “Even though the numbers have dissipated throughout the decades from a population standpoint, they're still the majority in this country, and it's still good for business. And rather than riding that cash cow and acknowledging the reality of a rising tide lifting all boats, there were some who were resistant to it.”
What's behind the tension between Clark and the WNBA?
Dakich and Smith offer different takes on the root of the problem. Dakich says America started caring about the WNBA when Clark arrived. Smith argues that some players resent the suggestion that the league never mattered before her, viewing it as an insult to years of hard work.
How the league resolves this tension could determine whether the WNBA can sustain its momentum. The longer it takes, the bigger the disconnect seems to grow between the league and the fans who have flocked to it.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section.