Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The WNBA has slowly and steadily been gaining traction over the years and fans have been filling up arenas to watch these professional female athletes play. With names like Sue Bird, A’ja Wilson, and Candace Parker, the WNBA does feature some big-time players in their league. However, Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley wasn’t too happy with such legends being overshadowed after the arrival of Caitlin Clark.

Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson recently talked about the amount of attention that Caitlin Clark has been able to garner since she came into the league. Making a case for the other players in the league, Barkley revealed what he felt was wrong on one of the more recent episodes of Steam Room.

“When I first saw the WNBA TV schedule, the first thing I said was, ‘Oh sh*t.’ I said, ‘There’s going to be a negative impact, blowback from players, from media…You would think that the people who run the WNBA would be smart enough to know that there was gonna be blowback.”

Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley talked about how the Indiana Fever would have most of their games televised on national television. While Sir Charles does not seem to have a problem with that, he wasn’t too happy with where this left the other stars and future legends of the league.

Barkley mentioned teams like the New York Liberty, and the Seattle Storm, along with future WNBA legends like Diana Taurasi, and Brittney Griner as some who will end up getting overshadowed by Caitlin Clark.

The 76ers legend did not blame Clark, he acknowledged the league’s need to advertise Caitlin Clark. However, he just wasn’t happy with where it left players who spent decades in the WNBA and have never gotten the same level of attention and fame.

“Not to put her in a position because she (Caitlin Clark) is a shining star and I know you have to show her. I think it’s important we show her but I think that’s overkill in my personal opinion.”

This year’s WNBA draft ended up being an absolute blessing as national sensations like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were some of the many players to make it into the league. And with the amount of fame and popularity these players have garnered since last year, it was a no-brainer for the WNBA to not build up on that.

As for Barkley’s concerns, what about the others in the league? According to him, there will be blowback from not just the players but the media as well. But only time will tell if that ‘blowback’ will make or break the league.

Caitlin Clark’s impact on the league as a rookie

WNBA teams have 40 regular season games in a year, excluding playoff matches. And the Indiana Fever will have 36 out of those 40 games nationally televised, which come to think of it is a lot.

But let’s take a look at what Caitlin Clark has been able to do for women’s basketball. Clark’s nifty ball-handling paired with her long-range shooting made her an overnight sensation. And her battle against Angel Reese and LSU in the March Madness Finals last year put her on the top.

Clark has been one big reason why fans have been filling up arenas to witness her performances. And while Charles Barkley is not wrong about other legends getting shunned because of Clark, the Indiana Fever guard is crucial to this new era of women’s basketball.

While fame and popularity are something most people dream of, Caitlin Clark is still learning how to deal with it. As per Heavy.com, this is what the Iowa Hawkeyes product had to say in regard to that.

“The hardest part about being Caitlin Clark. Having to feel like you’re always on.”

It may be a steep journey for Caitlin Clark to get used to all the media and flashing lights, but that is what the fans want to see and the league wants to push; the rookie embodying the Caitlin Clark that had defenses run circles around her.