Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark doubled down on controversial comments about “privilege” in a new episode of the My Next Guest Needs No Introduction series on Netflix.
Clark initially created a firestorm after giving a nod to ‘white privilege’ for her success in the WNBA following her selection as TIME Athlete of the Year for 2024.
In a recent conversation with David Letterman for the show, the league Rookie of the Year said it’s more about simply acknowledging great players that came before her.
“I definitely have privilege,” Clark said, according to Awful Announcing. “I’m obviously white, but I think I’m somebody who grew up a huge fan of this league.”
“I grew up watching this league, going to games, supporting this league,” she continued. “So I know where this league comes from: A lot of Black women that grew up making this league what it is. And that’s kind of the shoulders that we stand on.”
“So I think that was something I’m very aware of, and something I’m very thankful for.”
Paying Respect to Past Players
Caitlin Clark has consistently advocated for paying homage to the greatness of former WNBA players. Why? Because she’s been a lifelong fan of the sport.
In her inaugural season, Clark eclipsed the WNBA rookie scoring record by passing a former league legend she grew up admiring – Seimone Augustus. In fact, Augustus was the first player she ever met in real life.
“I got my picture with her on my dad’s little phone – it was maybe like a BlackBerry back in the day,” Clark told reporters after the game. “I vividly remember it. I was always a fan of her game and the way she could shoot the ball.”
Clark also spoke admirably about former Minnesota Lynx star and four-time WNBA champion Maya Moore.
Clark recalled an interaction she had with Moore as a child and said it helped inspire her love of basketball. She was able to hug her favorite player on the court after a Lynx game back in 2014.
“Ten seconds can go a long way in somebody’s life,” Clark said of the memory. “That’s a good lesson whether you play sports or don’t play sports, how you treat somebody matters.”
The Fever guard says she tries to model her behavior after Moore and Augustus by spending “as much time as I can for those young girls.”
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Caitlin Clark’s Controversial TIME Comments
It’s the comments regarding privilege that have raised the ire of some critics, a suggestion that Caitlin Clark is getting more credit than she deserves because of her race.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark told TIME magazine. “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.”
Caitlin Clark has gone woke and is now defending her vile comment where she said white people have privilege.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) December 12, 2024
The WNBA was already a failure but at least there was @CaitlinClark22 to give it a glimmer of hope.
Now it’s clear that Clark is just another lame tool of the far-left. pic.twitter.com/GjFdC0kYeD
Clark’s comments dismayed fans by seemingly lending credence to players who have suggested her popularity is motivated by race as opposed to, say, record-breaking performances week after week. Not to mention, most fans don’t associate privilege with someone who other players definitively targeted with hard fouls throughout the season.
According to a report in the Indianapolis Star, Clark was responsible for an astonishing 26.5 percent of the WNBA’s activity this season, including attendance, merchandise sales, and television viewership.
If anything, the league is privileged to have her in it.
