“The View” co-hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg, on Monday defended the much-talked-about flagrant foul made by a WNBA player against star rookie Kaitlyn Clark, arguing it’s a common occurrence in basketball.
“Let’s be realistic: This is basketball,” host Whoopi Goldberg said. “In basketball, stuff like this happens all the time. Angel Reese got hit with a clothesline the other day.”
Clark, the former No. 1 overall draft pick of the Indiana Fever, was fouled by Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter on Saturday after an off-ball hip-check foul went viral, sparking online discussion of whether the star guard was being targeted given the unprecedented attention she has received in the WNBA.
Goldberg said people were overinterpreting the moment, saying, “They’re in it to win. They shouldn’t be concerned because they’re women. They’re athletes.”
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“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg defended her vicious foul on Kaitlyn Clark on Monday. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
Co-host Sunny Hostin said this was about the fifth time “The View,” which focuses on women’s issues and perspectives, has discussed the WNBA in recent years, and told viewers that basketball is a “contact sport.”
After the Sky scored in a Saturday game against the Sky Fever, Carter hip-checked Clark to the ground. Sky guard Angel Reese, Clark’s former Iowa rival at Louisiana State, jumped up from the bench to cheer the play on. Carter was called for a general foul at the time, but the league later reconsidered and upgraded it to a Flagrant I violation, a more serious offense.
“It’s not a classy game. When you’re sitting there [and] “When you watch it, sometimes stuff like that happens, you’re like, ‘Oh my God. I can’t stand it,'” Hostin said, noting that the foul on Clark was “clearly a bad foul.”
Hostin also addressed the flagrant foul that Connecticut Suns player Alyssa Thomas called on Reese in late May. In her post-game press conference, Hostin praised Reese for how she responded to the foul, saying, “AT, thank you for sending me that message. I bounced back, I kept going, I kept hustling.”
“They’re going to be better. Kaitlyn’s going to be better. Angel’s going to be better. The league’s going to be better,” Hostin said.
Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) is whistled for a foul after taking Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) to the ground at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 1, 2024. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NBA star Draymond Green says Fever ‘needs an enforcer’ after hard foul on Kaitlyn Clark
Clarke created a sensation during her stellar career at the University of Iowa and is perhaps the most highly-watched player in WNBA history. Known for her excellent shooting and passing, Clarke finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in Division I basketball and led Iowa to consecutive NCAA Championship Game appearances in 2023 and 2024. Her games set women’s basketball ratings records.
She made millions from name, image and likeness (NIL) deals while in college and reportedly signed a staggering $28 million endorsement deal with Nike earlier this year.
Hostin recently suggested Clark is getting attention because of “white privilege” and “beauty privilege.”
“I’m hopeful that Caitlin Clark will bring this money, this sponsorship, to the league and other players will benefit from that. But because she’s white and attractive, I think more people will be able to relate to her. But unfortunately, there is still prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community. 70% of WNBA players are black. A third of players are in the LGBTQ+ community and we have to do something about that prejudice in this country,” she said last month.
During Monday’s show, co-host Ana Navarro echoed comments made by Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon.
“It’s being interpreted as black and brown minority women hating on her because she’s white, and that’s not true. Let’s leave Kaitlyn out of the picture,” Hammon said. “It’s not Kaitlyn’s fault. Let’s give her flowers. She’s done something in college basketball that no one has done before – man, woman, black, white. Let’s give the woman flowers.”
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“This isn’t a race issue, this is a basketball issue,” Navarro said after quoting Hammon.
