Caitlin Clark‘s fan following only seems to grow with each passing day. Amidst the slew of celebrities standing up for her, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III recently announced his staunch support of the Indiana Fever sensation. Off the back of Clark making the All-Star team, he brought out the numbers on X, formerly Twitter, to prove to her detractors why she deserves all the praise in the world.
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In a long post, Griffin noted that the All-Star fan voting numbers showcase Clark’s impact on the WNBA. Last year, the top vote-getter, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson, received 95,860 votes. A year later, the Fever star leads the table with over 700,000 votes, a stunning sevenfold increase.
Griffin claimed that the 598% increase in fan votes the top five in 2024 received compared to the five-highest vote-getters in 2023 is undeniable proof of Clark’s impact on the league. He took a swipe at the rookie’s detractors and compared her impact on women’s basketball to The Tiger Effect on golf, writing,
“Caitlin Clark haters are punching air right now. The WNBA All-Star votes says what most of us already knew. Caitlin Clark is the WNBA’s Tiger Woods. More people watch the W because of her. Period… Yes, the WNBA is more popular than ever. Yes, it’s because of Caitlin Clark.”
Caitlin Clark haters are punching air right now.
The WNBA All-Star votes says what most of us already knew. Caitlin Clark is the WNBA’s Tiger Woods.
More people watch the W because of her. Period.
Total votes increased by 598% for the top 5 players from 2023 to 2024.
The… pic.twitter.com/ALkPUi73SK
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 3, 2024
Griffin had no reservations about coming on strong with what he had to say. But unless fans on the other side of the fence can come back with facts and figures of their own, it may be fair to say that there is a clear winner to this battle.
Caitlin Clark has stayed diplomatic despite all the noise
While everyone on Caitlin Clark’s side has been loud in their praise for her after her All-Star selection, she has stayed even-keeled about it. When she was asked about it during a recent interview, she said,
“I know people are going to be really excited about it, [being All-Star teammates with Reese], but I hope it doesn’t take away from everybody else. Like, this is a huge accomplishment for everybody on Team USA, and everybody on Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise.”
Clark’s reaction seems especially muted, compared to her draft classmate Angel Reese, who shed a tear after learning she was joining her rival on the All-Star team. She said,
“They just told me I’m an All-Star, and, I mean, I’m so happy. I know the work the I’ve put in. Coming into this league, so many people doubted me, and didn’t think my game would translate, and I wouldn’t be the player In was in college, or better or worse. But I trusted the process, and I believed…”
Despite all the commotion around her, Caitlin Clark never seems to care about who’s on her side of the debate and who isn’t. Perhaps it is due to this habit that she has been able to brave the storm so well. And if she can keep going the same way, there is no reason that she won’t see even greater success in the WNBA.
