Matt Barnes Asserts WNBA Does Everything to Discredit 'Golden Goose' Caitlin Clark
There has been much discourse around Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark being named Time Athlete of the Year for 2024 earlier this month.
And much of this discourse has swirled around Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson's comments about how Clark should not have been placed on the ensuing Time magazine cover alone on December 13.
Yet another media member to offer their opinion on this discussion is former NBA player Matt Barnes, who made his feelings known during a December 18 episode of his "All the Smoke" podcast.
"Let me say this: Caitlin Clark deserves all the flowers. I think she took a lot of s*** and [had] a lot of skeptics coming into the league," Barnes said. "She had to really prove herself... and really had a lot of hard knocks early on in the season.
"In the Time article, Caitlin obviously accepted the honor but also was quick to pay homage to the Black women of the W's past who helped pave the way for herself today," he continued. "So Caitlin has... done everything you're supposed to do and has been criticized every step of the way."
He later added, "The WNBA has a golden goose sitting in their league, and has done... everything to kind of discredit the momentum and eyeballs she has brought to this game.
"Caitlin has brought a ton of new opportunity, a ton of new eyeballs, and more money to the sport. So instead of downplaying the magnitude of who she is and what she has brought, enjoy the ride, and take advantage of the ride, and do everything you can do to show the fanbase why they should have been watching before Caitlin came along," Barnes concluded, seemingly speaking to the WNBA as a whole.
“Probably some of the stupidest sh*t I’ve ever heard.”
— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) December 18, 2024
Matt Barnes addresses the recent criticism from Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson over Caitlin Clark’s comments in her Time Magazine cover story.
New episode of ALL THE SMOKE Unplugged just dropped our YouTube. pic.twitter.com/lBg8wkUO5a
Time will tell whether the WNBA and its players heed Barnes' words.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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