It seems like Jamal Hill is throwing some shade at Caitlyn Clark over WNBA ratings, and USA Today’s Christine Brennan has spoken up about the WNBA Players Union. We’ve got a lot to dive into, but first, a quick shout-out to Caitlyn Clark for snagging Rookie of the Year! Everyone knew she was going to do it, and this really blew up online, but it came with some controversy.
Here’s the scoop: Caitlyn Clark almost became the first WNBA guard to be named Rookie of the Year unanimously. Out of 67 votes, she got 66, with one vote going to Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. This set off a firestorm on social media, as fans were stunned she wasn’t unanimously named Rookie of the Year. Caitlyn had already broken tons of records this season, and people were ready to see her make history.
But here’s the interesting part: Caitlyn Clark didn’t seem too bothered. She even shared an emotional shout-out from none other than NBA legend Chris Paul. Let’s check it out—that was Chris Paul congratulating Caitlyn Clark on a fantastic season and telling her to keep pushing forward.
Now, onto the drama with Jamal Hill, who’s taken to social media to criticize the WNBA’s focus on Clark’s impact on ratings. Hill’s recent post has stirred things up. She says it’s irresponsible for headlines to link the WNBA playoffs’ low ratings to Clark’s absence. She went on to say the same about playoff ratings if LeBron or Steph Curry were absent from the NBA Finals. Her point being, it’s just how media coverage works.
But seriously, Caitlyn Clark has been driving viewership up all season. Without her, ratings were bound to dip, and they’re going to stay low until she’s back on the court. Clark’s impact on WNBA ratings is massive—way bigger than even LeBron or Steph’s influence on NBA viewership. All of this season’s million-viewer games featured Caitlyn, so to question her influence? There’s really no debate here.
Switching gears, USA Today’s Christine Brennan is standing her ground after asking Connecticut Sun’s D’Jai Carrington if she intentionally hit Clark. The WNBA Players Association has called for Brennan’s credentials to be revoked, but Brennan says she was just doing her job. Here’s the original exchange:
When questioned on a podcast, Brennan defended her approach, saying she would ask the same question to any athlete in a similar situation. She wasn’t backing down and explained that this was about giving Carrington a chance to share her side.
With the WNBA Players Association and Brennan clashing, it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. Brennan doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and the WNBA hasn’t made any moves to revoke her credentials.
