Charles Barkley irked some WNBA players with his misogynistic comments about Fever rookie Kaitlyn Clark.
Speaking on TNT’s pregame show Wednesday night before Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Mavericks, Barkley called out women for being mean to Clark, whose celebrity status has helped WNBA teams secure charter flights for travel and boost the league’s ratings and attendance.
“Ladies out there, you’re all small-minded, man…you should all be thankful for that girl.” [Clark] Thank you for arranging the private charter,” Barclay said. “The money she’s bringing to the WNBA and the attention she’s getting, it’s not as boring as everyone else. Listen, give her flowers what she’s accomplished.”
WNBA players, including Sparks forward Dearika Hamby, Liberty star and former league MVP Jonquel Jones and last played for the Sparks, Chiney Ogwuemike, who took a step back from her playing career to focus on broadcasting for ESPN, disagreed with Barkley on social media.
“Seriously…. What are you talking about….” Humvee wrote X will also be showing footage of basketball Hall of Fame players.
“You want to know who the women who hate CC are?” Jones added. “I’ve seen a lot of press about this, but I don’t feel any hate. I don’t really read the comments, so maybe I missed it.”
Mercury Guard Natasha Cloud I reposted the messagealso includes a comment from Barkley, but X reads: “I just want men to stop giving me so much. Loosen your purse strings, go to the games, buy your jerseys, support your team, whatever. Don’t do this.”
When you go to X, Ogwumike explained“Charles and the ‘Inside the NBA’ team are the GOAT of this industry, so I would like to respectfully and lovingly express my opinion. Every WNBA player I know, these new players… , and appreciate the spotlight and money that Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and others are bringing to W!
“They’re going to hate you more,” Warriors champion Draymond Green said of the women during an appearance on TNT’s pregame show.
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Barkley didn’t name names in his rant, but he did mention that he sided with LeBron James, who defended Clark. LeBron defended Clark in a recent article about him and JJ Redick. “Mind the Game” Podcast.
“I’m in this mode right now because I look at my son and feel the same way. [Bronny James],I’m 19 [going through the NBA draft process] “He’s just a kid trying to achieve his dream and he’s faced with a lot of hostility and hate,” James said. “Very few men and women actually achieve their dream of becoming a professional athlete.”
“And we have terrible men and women here doing everything they can to prevent something like that from happening. It’s the strangest thing in the world, but… , that’s the reality. And I’m glad that Caitlin is taking it seriously.”
James explained that he was rooting for Clark, who was selected by the Fever with the first overall pick in April’s WNBA Draft, because he’d “walked that path before” when he was the No. 1 pick by the Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Ogwumike also posted a series of tweets describing slow and steady growth in the WNBA, including charter flights and team expansion.
The WNBA announced Thursday that it will create its first team outside the United States, with an expansion team coming to Toronto for the 2026 season.
Toronto is the 14th franchise in the WNBA and the league Golden State Valkyries earlier this month.
Bay’s expansion team will tip off for its inaugural season in May 2025.
