Barkley’s rant about Clark made a lot of people upset

Caitlin Clark and her legion of fans have plenty of criticsAP

Her team may be 0-5, but the discourse around Caitlin Clark as the WNBA’s savior has never been louder. The Indiana Fever star has found two NBA legends on her side, but LeBron James and Charles Barkley have only turned more fans against Clark with their brash opinions.

Barkley and James defend Caitlin Clark

As friction continues between the old guard and the league’s prominent rookie class, personalities from outside the WNBA have caused clashes over its newly crowned queen, even the big names like James and Barkley.

Although she is the center of the controversy, Caitlin Clark has never made it about herself or discredited anybody who came before her. It echoes similar to the rivalry between her and Angel Reese that was manufactured by the media in college, which she recently described as “frustrating” in an ESPN documentary.

But when Barkley goes on TNT during the NBA Playoffs and tells women to stop being “petty” after all Clark has done for the W, or LeBron hails her on his podcast as the reason a lot of great things will happen to the WNBA, the conversation becomes unavoidable.

Is Clark the WNBA savior?

“It’s mind-boggling to me how the WNBA gets little credit for any growth that it already had prior to the 2024 draft class,” WNBA journalist Meghan Hall wrote in a Twitter/X post in response to the Barkley video.

“Also, to point out that previous players matter isn’t being petty. It’s factual. They need their flowers too … It’s insulting to act otherwise.”

There was plenty of momentum before Clark. Last season, WNBA viewership was up 46% on ESPN. ABC games were up 18%. Then she came in and set the viewership record for a WNBA game on ESPN in her first one.

There was collective action to end the league’s commercial flight travel for years. Once Clark spoke about it, it changed in a matter of days, and the Fever were the first to benefit.

There is room somewhere in the middle for truth. The convergence of years of fighting an uphill battle with the unstoppable momentum of Clark’s stardom required both equally important pieces. Crucially, Caitlin didn’t ask for any of this.

Has Bron ever stuck his neck out for his “little sis” A’ja Wilson PUBLICLY like he did for CC? Genuine question.

— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) May 23, 2024

It’s hard to say that LeBron was completely wrong in his assessment, but when it comes to Barkley, an irony rings out. He is the pettiest one of them all.