Caitlin Clark might be the face of the WNBA, but that comes with drawbacks as she faces a level of scrutiny and attention that nobody else in the league receives. Fellow young star Paige Bueckers thinks that’s unfair.
This week, Clark has been the subject of a lot of media attention after a now-viral video showed her and Fever head coach Stephanie White engaged in a heated exchange. It was just another instance where Clark has more eyes and more attention on her than any other player in the league, and Bueckers sees that.
Bueckers Speaks Out
During an interview with the media on Tuesday, Bueckers was asked about the media attention, expectations, and criticism that Clark receives, and she did not hesitate to defend her fellow WNBA star calling the treatment “inhuman” while adding that Clark handles it all about as well as she could.
“I would just say she handles it with grace. And the pressure she’s put on every single night to perform at the level that she does. It’s inhumane, really. Like to expect people to be perfect and not have off games of off nights. If she doesn’t go for like 8 for 10 from three, people are questioning things,” Bueckers told the media.
That said, Bueckers doesn’t necessarily think it’s fair for Clark to have to be shouldering all of that, either.
“It’s just unfair to have to deal with that. But I am sure that she has a great team around her and great people to help her. And I know she’s a great person at dealing with it, just tuning out the noise and just continue to be there for herself and for her team. But I mean the expectations, it’s tough when you listen to it. I’m sure she has a great way of tuning it out,” the Dallas Wings star added.
Clark Addresses Media Firestorm
After the video of Clark’s interaction with White went viral on social media, Clark has downplayed the incident and called out the media for the “blatantly wrong” way that the incident has been portrayed.
“I know there’s a camera on me … but there’s a lot of people out there in the media or on TV that think they know a lot of things, and they’re just blatantly wrong,” the star point guard said on Monday via the Los Angeles Times. “It’s just another example of what everybody … want[s] to blow up and make something that is just … not in reality.”
Clearly, Clark is frustrated with the constant attention, and it sounds like Bueckers was sympathetic to that.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.