IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar does not believe Caitlin Clark should be called the face of the WNBA.
Earlier this month, former WNBA player Lisa Leslie sparked a firestorm when she declared A’ja Wilson the face of the WNBA over Caitlin Clark.
“A’ja has been completely outstanding. She deserves all of the glory that she gets, commercials, all of the things. This is the face of the WNBA.”
“This is the face of the WNBA.”@LisaLeslie points out A’ja Wilson’s dominance for the @LVAces this season. pic.twitter.com/E5wQqpaBX6
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 28, 2026
Leslie faced intense backlash over her comments but it appears that former NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar agrees with her.
“Don’t get me wrong: Clark is a very good, possibly even a great, player. But calling any one player the face of the league, absent the sort of on-court and cross-platform dominance of a Michael Jordan or a LeBron James, is an insult to an awful lot of great players, starting with A’ja Wilson, who has won three titles and four MVP awards in her first seven years in the WNBA.”
While Clark is definitely the most popular player in the WNBA, it’s clear that Wilson, who is the frontrunner for a fifth MVP award, is the best player in the league.
Despite the distinction, fans are still debating whether or not Clark is the face of the league.
People can’t seem to understand that “Face of the league” is different from “best player in the league”.
“Face” means you are by far the most marketable and well known player in the league. CC is clearly the face of the league. https://t.co/I35Eb1jX24
— #FireStephWhite (@WNBA_Analyst) July 15, 2026