Caitlin Clark would rather focus on basketball.
The WNBA rookie star has been the subject of some controversy around the league this week after she was the recipient of a hard foul by Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter in the Fever’s close 71-70 win last Saturday.
Pundits, coaches and even politicians have weighed in on the foul, which the league has elevated to a Level 1 infraction, and the intense play Clark faced in the midst of his rookie season.
“It gets tiresome sometimes when the conversation is so focused on non-basketball stuff and not about what’s on the court and the great players on the court and how good they are for our team and how great women’s basketball has been this season,” Clark told USA Today ahead of Friday’s game against the Mystics.
The WNBA has seen a surge in popularity since Clark was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft, sparking conversations that go beyond the game on the court, including about the media and race.
“I don’t use social media, I don’t watch it that much, which I think would surprise people,” she said. “I still have the TV on at home and I watch sports. People are still aware of it and they still watch it. Outside of that, my focus is basketball.”
“But yeah, I try to block it out. I don’t have social media on my phone, I don’t use it, I don’t look at it a lot. But I don’t think it’s that different from college. Everybody’s going to have their opinion, everybody’s entitled to their opinion, that’s the reality. I think you have to focus on what’s going on in the locker room, what’s going on in the organization, how your teammates feel, how your coaches feel. For me, that’s my focus, but at the same time, I have a job to do, so I’m focused on that.”
The Fever enter Friday’s game at 2-9 and host the Sun on Saturday. Clark has struggled to find the same success at the pro level that made him the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer during a stellar career at Iowa.
“I’m coming into this league trying to learn as much as I can,” she said. “I’m 22 years old and there’s a lot of expectations on my shoulders. I feel like I’ve grown a lot and will continue to grow. It’s been a great learning period for me. I’m a perfectionist and I want to be a really good player for our organization and my teammates, so it’s really hard to give myself a lot of leniency sometimes.”
