Caitlin Clark finds herself at the center of major controversy less than a month into her rookie season in the WNBA.
Yet according to former Indiana college player and coach Dan Dakich, racism does not explain why opposition players are targeting her on the court.
Clark, who was selected by the Indiana Fever with the first overall pick at this year’s WNBA Draft, has endured a brutal start to life in the big league – taking some heavy physical punishment while losing nine of her first 12 games.
Earlier this month, Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter sparked outrage by aggressively shoving the Fever superstar to the ground off the ball, before appearing to laugh about it afterwards with teammate Angel Reese.
Caitlin Clark is at the center of big controversy less than a month into her rookie WNBA season
Some believe Clark is the victim of racism in the league, with Outkick founder Clay Travis recently claiming she is being targeted because she is ‘a white heterosexual woman in a black lesbian league’.
Dakich, however, does not agree. ‘Of course, she’s being targeted,’ the ex-Hoosier star told TMZ Sports.
‘There’s a little bit of racism or sexism in there, you know, straight white girl, okay, but that ain’t it to me.’
Instead, Dakich thinks other WNBA players are taking their frustrations out on Clark due to jealousy.
The 61-year-old explained that his wife Leigh, who coached Syracuse softball for decades, recently told him that women often don’t like to see other women succeed in sports.
‘She said you will see incredible pettiness and jealousy,’ he added. ‘We’re seeing a lot of that.’
Clark has been brutally targeted by opposition players, with Chennedy Carter sparking outrage by shoving her to the ground earlier this month (pictured)
Former Indiana college player and coach Dan Dakich (right) thinks jealousy explains why the Fever rookie is being targeted
Clark is the biggest star in women’s basketball today – and one of the most popular players in the sport full stop – after her historic college career with Iowa.
The 22-year-old, who recently penned a sponsorship deal with Nike worth an estimated $28million, is bringing more attention to the women’s game than ever before, with her Fever debut breaking ESPN viewership records.
Like in college, she is also setting records as a WNBA player – becoming the fastest WNBA player to reach at least 200 points and 50 assists in league history over the weekend.
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