Former President Barack Obama met with Caitlin Clark in Chicago over the weekend, offering a few words of encouragement as the third-year WNBA star got ready for this year’s All-Star Game.
The message he delivered was simple, personal and pointed: do not let the noise steal the joy from the game.
“You’re great, you’re fantastic. Don’t let all this nonsense get you down,” Obama told Clark on Friday inside the indoor basketball court at the Obama Presidential Center. “I always say one of the things that was luckiest for me was I didn’t get famous until I was like 45. So, I was an old man. You’re my daughters’ age; they haven’t had that much immersion in nonsense, so don’t lose that joy. The game’s, like, the game. And you’re a hooper.”
Clark’s season has again unfolded under an intense spotlight, with hard fouls and off-court scrutiny echoing controversies that surrounded her rookie year and continued into her shortened sophomore campaign.
The debate over how the WNBA handles physical play against Clark has only grown louder. Most recently, the league faced renewed criticism after Phoenix Mercury veteran DeWanna Bonner was suspended for striking Clark in the neck while Clark was on the floor, a decision that came amid pressure on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and scrutiny from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
On Friday, ESPN’s Malika Andrews also spoke with Clark, asking the Indiana Fever guard about her critics and the controversy that continues to follow her rise.
“I think there’s just like a false characterization of who I am sometimes,” Clark said. “And I get it, like, as a reporter or as a blogger, like you can write an opinion piece and that’s your job and whatever. But at the same time, like you don’t know me. Like we’ve never had a conversation. I get people have a job to do. But at the same time, like don’t make accusations about my character and who I am when you don’t know me. I understand this is your job and this is your profession, and this is what you get to do. And basketball is my profession, what I get to do. And the reason I play it is when I step in between the lines, I love it. And that’s what’s so fun about it for me: I get to compete. This was always my dream. And nobody should ever try to take that away from me.”
Obama’s advice to protect that love of basketball was clearly meant as support for Clark at a difficult moment. Still, many of her supporters argue that words of encouragement are not enough, saying the league and opposing players must do more to keep the focus on competition rather than repeated flashpoints around physical play.
Or, to tell WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to get a hold of her league or step aside for someone who will.
A message like that coming from someone like Obama, who likely holds considerable sway in WNBA locker rooms due to the political leanings of most of the players, could go a long way.
