WNBA star rookie Caitlin Clark has already had a lot of “welcome to the league” moments in her early days as a pro, and former Los Angeles Lakers player Nick Young thinks she needs to start taking her lumps without complaining so much.
Young took to X to share his thoughts on the matter.
Clark gotta stop acting like she died on every foul
— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) May 23, 2024
On one hand, the fact that Young is engaging with the WNBA may be seen as a good thing on its own. For years, the WNBA has struggled to enter the mainstream conversation when it comes to the world of sports in the United States.
On the other hand, now that Clark is in the league, it is hard to ignore that it seems as though she is being put under an intense spotlight. Some fans have even started to express concern that some are trying to tear Clark down before her professional career even begins to take off.
Young’s post could be seen as an example of that very concern. With that in mind, it is hard to argue against the fact that Clark can get quite dramatic during games.
Young seems to think that Clark is acting dramatically after some of the very physical fouls that she’s be the victim of early in her career. It’s hard to know the truth. Her reactions could be genuine, or they could be a bit of a performance to try to draw a foul. If it’s the latter, Clark would be far from the first basketball star to try to get a whistle by exaggerating a reaction.
I invested $100,000 into WNBA stocks just before Caitlin Clark was drafted, thinking she would take this eye sore of a stud league to the next level. 5 games into her career & I’m pulling my investments. This league is beyond saving. No foul calls on assault & battery. Cooked. pic.twitter.com/GhSygLTZXa
— J. Mulholland (@MulhollandL0ver) May 23, 2024
To her credit, she isn’t just taking these fouls in silence. In a recent game, Clark was issued a technical foul for telling a referee exactly what she thought about a particular non-call.
“Call a fucking foul!”
Give Caitlin Clark her respect!pic.twitter.com/akn2aKph9l
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 21, 2024
In the end, it’s hard to know what to think about the current situation in the WNBA. Clark has definitely appeared to be the victim of particularly hard fouls. It’s possible that she simply needs to bulk up a bit and add more muscle to her slight frame to deal with the physicality at the professional level.
It is also possible that veteran players are trying to teach the rookie superstar a lesson.
Whatever the truth is, the WNBA would be wise to try to protect Clark a bit more going forward. The last thing the league wants is for Clark to miss serious time with an injury. The chances of that occurring figure to increase if Clark continues to be on the wrong end of physical fouls.
