Caitlin Clark speaks out against those who direct racist, misogynistic comments toward WNBA players

Clark's comments appear to have been fueled by a tweet by Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington

By Jordan Pagkalinawan Jun 14, 2024 at 10:22 am ET• 1 min read

Amid a rise in both positive and negative discourse surrounding the WNBA, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark addressed recent comments regarding her name being used for racism and misogyny prior to her team's 91-84 win over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday.

"It's disappointing. I think everyone in our world deserves the same amount of respect," Clark said. "The women around our league deserve the same amount of respect. People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It's disappointing, it's not acceptable." 

She added that respecting her and fellow players is "a basic human thing that everybody should do."

"Some of the women in this league were my biggest idols and role models growing up, helping me want to achieve this moment right here that I get to play in every single night," Clark said. "Just be a kind person and treat them how you would want to be treated. I think that's very simple."

Clark's pre-game comments came in the wake of social media backlash from Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, who criticized Clark for saying she wanted to focus on basketball during shootaround earlier on Thursday.