Former ESPN anchor Elle Duncan said Monday that Caitlin Clark has been forced to carry a debate she never started, calling the treatment of the former Iowa star since she entered the WNBA a “completely unfair situation.”
Duncan, now the lead studio host for USA Network's WNBA coverage, made the comments in a clip posted Monday morning by Front Office Sports Tonight, according to Sporting News. Her remarks come less than two weeks after Clark used her exit interview in Indianapolis to denounce anyone who has used her name to push racist rhetoric.
What Elle Duncan Said About Caitlin Clark
Duncan argued it was unreasonable to expect a 21- or 22-year-old from Iowa to instantly understand, and answer for, tensions that existed in the league long before she arrived.
“I think that Caitlin Clark has been put in a completely unfair situation. So unnecessary to ask a, at the time when she came into the league, 21-, 22-year-old woman from Iowa to understand why this was happening to her and why this is happening to all the other women in the league. It is so complicated. It is so nuanced. It is long before Caitlin Clark ever stepped foot on a WNBA court that some of these ideas and narratives have been out there, but they used her as an avatar, and I think that's not fair.”
Duncan, who joined ESPN in 2016 and left in December 2025, added that Clark understands the responsibility that comes with her platform, and that the Fever guard has been forced to repeatedly distance herself from people claiming to speak in her name.
“She has had to have been put in the unfortunate circumstance that she's got to speak out, that she has to continue to say, 'I don't believe these things, I was not raised this way, you do not speak for me, you do not represent me.'”
Duncan made similar points in an interview with Basketball Network, arguing it was unfair for a player fresh out of college to become the face of the league's culture war.
Clark Spoke Out at Her Exit Interview
Clark addressed the fan rhetoric directly on Oct. 8 during her exit interview in Indianapolis, which she held 11 days before Duncan's clip went up. She had missed the Fever's team exit interviews five days earlier because she was in Iowa City as the guest picker on ESPN's College GameDay, the same day Ohio State beat Iowa 31-14.
Clark denounced people who have used her “to demonstrate racist rhetoric or hate or discrimination,” CBS Sports' Jack Maloney reported.
She also said hearing teammate Kelsey Mitchell's exit interview comments upset her. Mitchell, who averaged a record-setting 24.7 points and set a WNBA single-season record with 1,086 points, said playing for fans who may not like her has been difficult and that she would look out for herself in free agency.
Fever general manager Amber Cox pushed back on Oct. 3, saying criticism of Indiana's fan base was not grounded in reality and singling out the media for fueling it.
How the Fever's Season Ended
Las Vegas eliminated Indiana in the first round. The Aces took Game 1, 102-85, on Sept. 27, and two days later in Indianapolis, A'ja Wilson confronted a fan who had pointed at her after a foul call. The Fever won that game 99-89 behind 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 15 assists from Clark.
Las Vegas closed the series with a 94-83 win in Game 3 on Oct. 1.
Clark averaged 22.3 points and 8.3 assists across 40 regular-season games as Indiana went 28-16 and entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed. In three playoff games, she averaged 20.0 points and 9.7 assists.
League Faces Questions on Divisiveness
Duncan has been blunt about the league's tone before. At Front Office Sports' Tuned In summit on Oct. 13, she told Baker Machado that covering the WNBA had become “toxic as hell,” and said the next commissioner should work on the divisiveness around the league and on connecting players and owners.
The league announced Sept. 4 that Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at the end of 2026. At her final Finals news conference Saturday in San Francisco, Engelbert listed player safety as the top issue the league is still working through and condemned people who hide “behind a keyboard to spew vitriol and hate and racism and misogyny at our players.” Golden State beat Atlanta 68-64 in Game 1 later that afternoon.
What Comes Next for Clark and Mitchell
Mitchell signed a one-year deal last offseason and will be an unrestricted free agent this winter, leaving real questions about whether she returns to Indiana.
Clark is eligible this offseason for an EPIC extension under the new collective bargaining agreement, which allows a player to renegotiate the fourth year of a rookie contract and add three more seasons. That decision will shape the Fever's window around Clark, who was 22 when Indiana took her first overall out of Iowa in the 2024 draft.
FAQ
What did Elle Duncan say about Caitlin Clark?
Duncan said Clark has been put in a “completely unfair situation,” arguing it was unreasonable to expect a young player from Iowa to answer for league tensions that predate her arrival.
What did Caitlin Clark say about racist rhetoric?
During her Oct. 8 exit interview, Clark denounced people who have used her to demonstrate racist rhetoric, hate, or discrimination, according to CBS Sports.
Is Kelsey Mitchell leaving the Fever?
Mitchell will be an unrestricted free agent this winter after signing a one-year deal, and she said she would look out for herself in free agency.