Despite being in just her sophomore season, Caitlin Clark hasn’t shown any hesitance to defend herself amid WNBA drama. Many believe the league’s not doing enough to protect its young star. NBA analyst Skip Bayless shares that sentiment. A recent interaction involving Brittney Griner pushed his stance to new heights.
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Clark hasn’t played basketball since May 24 due to a quad injury. Her last taste of victory came against the Atlanta Dream, which saw the Fever prevail 81-76. The matchup featured the Dream’s offseason addition of Griner, whose night ended prematurely when she fouled out.
Broadcast cameras picked up Griner’s frustration as she sat on the bench. The clip went viral with what seemed like racist remarks, but there’s no audio to confirm or deny the allegation.
Bayless waited a couple of weeks before speaking on the matter to allow the WNBA time to investigate. They have yet to release a comment, which has led Bayless to call out both Griner and the WNBA.
“I’ve watched that video countless times, and it sure looks like Brittney Griner says, ‘white girl,'” Bayless said on The Skip Bayless Show.
Griner’s alleged comments followed her sixth and final foul — which was not against Clark but against Natasha Howard, who is Black. Bayless isn’t trying to paint Griner as a glorified Caitlin Clark hater, but he does think it’s possible that Clark’s still at the center of Griner’s frustration.
“It’s completely possible that ‘white girl’ was about Caitlin Clark’s popularity, about her stature, about her impact on the entire league,” Bayless said. “Very possible that Griner was blaming Caitlin Clark in the big picture.”
Bayless’ perspective evoked a serious accusation toward the WNBA. He believes the league is allowing others to treat Clark unfairly and that double standards have begun to develop.
“I want to know, is the WNBA okay with one of it’s players saying ‘white girl’ on the bench and getting caught by TV cameras?” Bayless asked. “Obviously, the league would very much not be okay with a white player saying ‘black girl’ on the bench in anger.”
According to Bayless, if the roles were reversed, it would result in “an immediate suspension.” He wants the WNBA to form a level of moral consistency.
Of course, his entire argument could fall flat if information reveals that Griner didn’t utter those words. Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that the WNBA has a drama problem.
The next step for the league’s growth is to minimize instances like this and ensure the coverage is stays focused on the on-court product.
