ESPN Analyst Breaks Down 'Issue' With Caitlin Clark WNBA Spotlight

ESPN analyst Elle Duncan shared a strong stance about Caitlin Clark's platform in the WNBA during a conversation with Stephen A. Smith.

Dec 27, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Sports commentator Elle Duncan in the stands during a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks at halftime at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

ESPN analyst and SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan has come to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's defense several times in the past, even when some of her colleagues have been critical of the 23-year-old point guard.

One example of this is when Duncan defender Clark was named the Time Athlete of the Year for 2024 last December, which many didn't agree with. Duncan spoke on this issue with an X post that read, "Caitlin Clark deserved Time Athlete of the yr and as a member of the W it automatically amplifies the league. To suggest she’s being put on an unfair pedestal because she’s being recognized for a truly uncommon and transformational year is absurd. It’s like saying 'why hand out an MVP when everyone is so important on a team.' Both things can be true.

"Sports ALWAYS honors individual accomplishments and there’s nothing unfair about that (unless it’s being used to denigrate others work)," she added.

Sep 30, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts from the bench after a play made by the Las Vegas Aces during the fourth quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Elle Duncan's Recent Comments About Caitlin Clark's WNBA Spotlight Speak Volumes

While Duncan is in Clark's corner a lot of the time, she can also see ways in which Clark's stardom has presented problems within the women's basketball community. And she touched on these during her October 28 appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show.

"I think there is nothing wrong, Stephen A., with exceptionalizing women... You're right. Maybe the most important figure in the W is Caitlin Clark. The best player in the W is, by far, A'ja Wilson," Duncan said.

"The problem for me, and I think the problem for some critics, for people who have exceptionalized Caitlin Clark specifically, is that a lot of the exceptionalizing is, 'Caitlin Clark is so important to the growth and change of the W.' True. And then it's the follow: 'But, all of these other ******* ain't nothing to her.' It's like, it's that part of it. It's the compliment, and then the denigration of everybody else, when trying to compliment Caitlin," she added.

"That's where I have an issue. It's okay to put [Clark] on the cover of Time Magazine. It's well-deserved, and well-earned... We're not arguing or debating that. For me, the issue comes — and I think for some of the players in the league — comes from people saying, 'I'm only watching Caitlin Clark and none of you are anything without her,'" Duncan continued.

"That is where I think a lot of the animus, the tension, really has lived. In this idea that if you're a Caitlin Clark fan, you have to hate everyone else, or you have to hate her perceived enemy, or you have to somehow put down the rest of the league and praise her. That's my issue, wholly. But I think it's 100% true that she has been such a driver, and she has been exceptional and transformative. Period. Leave it there," she concluded.

Many would surely agree with what Duncan had to say.