ESPN’s Elle Duncan has criticized Charles Barkley for his recent comments about Caitlin Clark.
Barkley had suggested that some women were being “petty” for resenting Clark as she began her WNBA career.
He remarked, “You women out there, y’all petty, man. Y’all should be thanking [Caitlin Clark] for getting y’all [expletive] private charters.”
Duncan responded strongly to Barkley’s comments.
“This is only women that get this (expletive). I’m tired of it,” she said. “Here’s my thing you guys: Who are these girls? Who are these girls that are hating on Caitlin Clark? Are you just combing through Twitter? What else are these women supposed to do?”
Duncan’s point is that competitiveness is natural in professional sports.
Players aren’t expected to go easy on Clark just because she was a top draft pick; they are going to challenge her on the court.
Clark is experiencing tougher defense in the WNBA than she did in college, and this is likely to continue throughout her career.
In her first five games, Clark is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game.
She aims to lead the Indiana Fever to their first win of the season on Friday night against the Los Angeles Sparks, with the game tipping off at 10 p.m. ET.
