Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever recently won the Time Athlete of The Year award and it was nothing less than well-deserved! The Rookie of the Year in the 2024 WNBA season dominated the court with deep-range shots and an average of 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. However, fans quickly overshadowed her limelight with backlash after her interview with Time went viral.
Amid Clark’s controversy, many high-profile stars came forward to show their support for the young star, and adding her voice to the growing wave of support is former Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder, who passionately defended Clark’s impact on women’s sports.
Lisa Bluder urges support for Caitlin Clark amid backlash
In her interview with Time, Clark downplayed her achievement by acknowledging it as a “White” privilege, which didn’t sit right with many fans and made her a target of criticism. However, amid this controversy, former Iowa coach Bluder has come to the defense of Caitlin Clark as she emphasized on the superstar’s impact on women’s sports in a recent interview with USA Today. She said:
It’s silly to me that anybody’s trying to take away from something that’s so good in your sport right now I mean, this is a person that’s really helped athletics, helped women’s sports in a way that nobody has helped women’s sports maybe since Billie Jean King. So, let’s get on the bandwagon and help her out, make her life a little bit easier because she is helping all of us. Sometimes, you know, we used to tell our team ‘Listen, when Caitlin’s light shines on her, it shines on all of us,’ and I think everybody else needs to embrace that a little bit better.
However, in the midst of all the backlash, the 6-foot Fever guard is receiving a ray of support from many big names, and now with her former coach offering a much-needed source of relief, this is certainly a welcome turn of events for her. Notably, one of the two wildcard roster spots open in the Unrivaled Basketball League might not be for Caitlin Clark.
The Fever star will not be joining the Unrivaled
The Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 tournament, is highly anticipated as fans look forward to seeing some of the best women hoopers in action during the off-season. However, Caitlin Clark will not be joining this tournament, as confirmed by ESPN’s Michael Voepel, who stated in his article, “Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark will not play in the new 3-on-3 league Unrivaled in its inaugural season, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN on Wednesday.”
While the absence of such a high-profile player like Clark may surprise fans, the reason behind her decision to not join the league remains unclear. For those who were eager to see their favorite player back on the court, will have to wait until the 2025 WNBA season kicks-off, which is just a few months away.
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