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Indiana Fever point guard and WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark was named as Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year for 2024 after the former University of Iowa standout helped women’s basketball reach levels of popularity it’s never seen before. During Clark’s rookie season, the WNBA set all sorts of records in terms of its viewership, attendance, and sales.
Ever since Caitlin Clark broke onto the scene at Iowa a few years ago and became the highest-scoring player in the history of college basketball (both men’s and women’s), the sharpshooter has displayed the utmost humility, and her interview with Time for her Athlete of the Year award was no different.
During her interview, Clark expressed that she believes she benefits from “white privilege” and that there have been tons of “really good Black players” over the years that the WNBA’s foundation was built on.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players,” Clark told Time for her Athlete of the Year profile.
“This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly took issue with Clark’s comments to such a degree that she responded to them on social media, calling the 22-year-old WNBA phenom “fake” and “sad.”
“Look at this. She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The ‘oh pls pay attention to the black players who are REALY the ones you want to celebrate.’ Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad,” Kelly tweeted.
Look at this. She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The “oh pls pay attention to the black players who are REALY the ones you want to celebrate.” Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad. https://t.co/cTzk0CTLPn
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) December 10, 2024
Kelly, however, did not prove or elaborate on why she believe Clark is faking it, as the basis of her opinion seems to be founded on personal feelings — Clark has done nothing in her career up to this point to suggest she’s disingenuous. She simply just said something that Kelly didn’t like, so she therefore decided it was a facade.