A’ja Wilson on turning 30 in the WNBA, her funniest travelogue, and more
Four-time WNBA MVP and three-time WNBA Champion A’ja Wilson joins Sports Seriously Studio IX to talk all things WNBA and her partnership with Booking.com.
take sports seriously
Caitlin Clark’s honeymoon never lasted.
Any athlete who is this much hyped and this much revered will always have a chance to turn things around. It happened to LeBron James too. That happened to Tiger Woods, too. That happened to Peyton Manning, too.
But Clark’s own actions are accelerating her actions. A fiasco that would make even a C-list actor cringe. Acting on the call and disrespecting the referee. Outrage over understandable questions about the health of a player who missed much of last season with a series of injuries.
This led to Clark taking the WNBA’s own Rorschach test. Either you think she can’t do anything wrong, or you think she’s a natural brat, and although it’s only the third season, the number of people who don’t have an opinion seems to be decreasing.
It’s okay to talk trash. Tantrums are different.
Clark is a transcendent player. No one can argue with that. Her Logo 3 is still worth the price of admission, and her ability to turn games around in an instant makes the Indiana Fever a must-see every time they play. If you want to teach your kids how to be a threat to opponents, have them watch a highlight reel of Clark’s passes.
This is not a criticism of Clark’s trash-talking and pearl-grabbing, as female athletes dare to ignite the same competitive spirit as male athletes. Beef between players like Tiffany Hayes of the Golden State Valkyries and Clark is part of what makes the sport so interesting.
It’s that anger that makes people uncomfortable.
There is at least one instance every game where Clark appears to have been shot after shoving another player, or falls to the court without being touched.
Consider Thursday night’s game at Golden State. Clark was guarding Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandarasini as Zandarasini dribbled toward the basket. If there was any contact, it was minimal, but if one of the Avengers shoved him, Clark would fall backwards.
There was also at least one instance in each game where Clark reprimanded the referee for a call he didn’t get or didn’t think he deserved. She doesn’t even need to play to get excited.
Hating WNBA referees, or anyone in any sport for that matter, may be a national pastime, but there are ways to do it without coming across as condescending. Clark applauded the referee and told him to open his eyes.
Clark was also irritated by questions earlier this week about being scratched late with a back injury. Besides the Fever potentially circumventing WNBA rules, Clark is in decent health after missing all but 13 games last season with an injury that was considered OK.
Fans can be fickle about stars.
Clark isn’t the first superstar to lose luster as fans get to know him better. James has the nickname “LeFlop” and there’s a huge file of memes about him calling for fouls. There are growing complaints about the amount of time two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spends sprawled out on the court.
Even Victor Wembaneyama, beloved by most, came under fire for neglecting his mandatory media duties after Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
But Clark carries a burden that other athletes don’t. She is the face of the WNBA and, in some ways, the face of women’s sports. Her actions and actions impact both the current league and its future players. The last thing anyone wants is for kids learning the game these days to think that failing and whining is the right way to do it.
Especially since Clark is wrong so often.
Contrary to what the most irrational sections of Clark fandom believe, she is not being attacked. The opposing players do not chase her because they are jealous of her. The W is, and still is, a physical league, with Clark often having the ball in his hands and no spot on the court where he can’t be a threat, making Clark even tougher to guard.
Also, Clark teeth I get more calls than most players. She is averaging 6.0 free throw attempts per game this season, the ninth-best mark in the league, according to Teamrankings.com. No other Fever player averages more than 4.9 attempts per game.
Not every player has to be liked by everyone. But Clark captivated the nation with her play. Now she is in danger of rejecting people for exactly the same reason.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
