Matt DeBord

Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA. She just had a 45 POINT 10 ASSISTS DOUBLE DOUBLE with 4 steals, 2 blocks and 2 rebounds. Shot 11/18 from the field and 6/10 from 3 point range in 29 minutes with a +16 +/-. Other players have scored more points this year and in years pasts, but most of all, IT WAS EXCITING. That’s why the fans love watching her play. Her style is just different than what they are used to seeing. Caitlin Clark is UNDOUBTEDLY the most popular player in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark is a record breaking great player on and off the court. There is no denying that. Caitlin Clark has helped bring record breaking viewership, crowds and money with her to the WNBA. The issue in the WNBA right now amongst the players is that when you say someone is the “FACE OF THE WNBA” every competitive player will only conceded that designation to a player that they believe as earned it with their play on the court. The “Face of the WNBA” to the players and former players is A’Ja Wilson. She is respected as such by her peers because she is the best player in the WNBA, the only 4 time WNBA MVP and has won 3 WNBA Championships. The Face of the WNBA to the fans is Caitlin Clark. She is the player that excites the masses the most with her play style and has broken numerous WNBA records in her first 3 season. And there lies the disconnect. Michael Jordan was the face of the NBA before he won a Championship, but it came with extreme push back from the rest of the league in how they guarded him and treated him. LeBron James was the face of the NBA before he won a Championship, but it came with extreme push back from the rest of the league in how they guarded him and treated him. When players feel like they are being overshadowed by a player they feel doesn’t have the accolades to warrant it, they fight it. They don’t respect it. But there is a difference between being the face of the WNBA and being the best player in the WNBA. Definition of Face of the any professional league, “Title given to the league's most recognizable, marketable, and impactful player at any given time.” The fans have spoken on this matter, but many players and former players won’t like it because the gap in the accomplishments between A’Ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark is massive. Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA before she has won a championship and it has come with extreme push back from the players in the way she is guarded and treated. Just like Michael Jordan and LeBron James were. Will Caitlin Clark ever become the best player in the WNBA? She can. She has the ability to. But right now, she is the WNBA’s most recognizable player. That’s not disrespectful to the other great players in the WNBA, it’s the reality of where the WNBA was before and after Caitlin Clark showed up. Regardless, it’s okay to celebrate the greatness of all the WNBA’s great players without turning it into a race war. For the players, for the fans, for the WNBA and for the kids watching, this has to stop.

NEWS: Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance is OUT for tomorrow's game against Mississippi State, per the SEC student-athlete availability report.