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The Caitlin Calrk haters are yet again out in full force after an offhand comment by Iowa coach Lisa Bluder comparing her to former WNBA and UConn superstar Maya Moore.
Moore is one of Clark’s sporting idols and the Indiana Fever recently spoke about a small, but meaningful interaction the two had when she was a child.
“Ten seconds can go a long way in somebody’s life,” Clark said when reminiscing about meeting Moore at a Minnesota Lynx game in 2014. “That’s a good lesson whether you play sports or don’t play sports, how you treat somebody matters.”
Now Clark says she’s trying to take lessons learned from Moore and apply them to her own life.
“I just try to take as much time as I can for those young girls because Maya was so nice to me when I ran up to her, and that’s something that’s stuck with me all the way until I’m 22 years old,” she said about signing autographs and taking pictures with young fans.
Bluder made the same point on Monday at the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.
"For her, Maya Moore was a huge role model growing up. So now she's the Maya Moore of this generation. And she understands that."
– Former @IowaWBB coach Lisa Bluder on Caitlin Clark connecting with young fans pic.twitter.com/VCnnrLdD9E
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 24, 2024
“For her, Maya Moore was a huge role model growing up. So now she’s the Maya Moore of this generation. And she understands that,” Bluder said, clearly referring to the amount of young fans that Clark has.
Caitlin Clark-Maya Moore Comparison Sent WNBA Fans Into Meltdown Mode
But as with anything Caitlin Clark-related, people immediately tried to look for subtext that isn’t there.
Moore was an outspoken activist. She left the league at the peak of her powers to work on a prison abolition program and is now married to a man she helped free.
Clark, meanwhile, is not. She’s admittedly only focused on basketball. So, of course, the comparison caused people to freak out.
Shshshs hey man I’m not the most educated W fan but one thing I know Caitlin is not is MAYA MOORE. Lmaooo did y’all forget who Maya is???? Like bruh please https://t.co/SDmNzh8bNz
— look at my opponent (@AyeFonz0) June 25, 2024
The Maya Moore disrespect is crazy. https://t.co/VL2efXy922
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) June 25, 2024
Right cause a coach with no rings or championships and pretty much nothing to show for her career except conference banners gets and lost championships gets to crown the “new maya moore!” For everyone that believes that, here you go really hope this helps! https://t.co/BnhD6HiAL5 https://t.co/QKXxLnM0Bf
— J (@JN21666) June 25, 2024
It is abundantly clear that Bluder was simply referring to Clark’s relationship with young basketball fans. But as with seemingly every Caitlin Clark discussion, people want to find a reason to hate.
Meanwhile, here’s what Moore had to say about Clark:
“How can she change the WNBA? There are so many ways to answer that question,” Moore told USA TODAY. “She is someone, I think, who’s a lot more than stats. She tries to bring that passion and joy to her community. I look forward to seeing how she uses her influence, how she’ll make her community better, her teammates better.”
But hey, what would Maya Moore know, right?