Caitlin Clark was named TIME’s Athlete of the Year for 2024, and it’s hard to argue with the honor. No athlete in American sports had more of a material impact on the success of their league than Clark on the WNBA, as she was one of the catalyats behind the league’s most profitable season of all time.
Clark lived up to the hype on the court, winning Rookie of the Year and leading the Indiana Fever to the playoffs while being selected as an All-Star starter. Clark’s impact on the league’s popularity and notoriety was even more pronounced, with high ticket sales and viewership numbers around the league all season long.
Clark is now one of the faces of the league after her incredible rookie campaign, but she made sure to praise the women – mostly Black women – who paved the way for her and others through the WNBA’s history.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark said about her place in the WNBA hierarchy after just one season.
“A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important.
I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Clark received criticism for those comments from conservative media pundit Megyn Kelly, who said that the star player was “apologizing for being white,” calling her “condescending. fake. transparent” and “sad.”
During Wednesday night’s TIME event, Clark responded to Kelly’s criticism by doubling down on her previous point.
“I feel like I always have had really good perspective on everything that’s happened in my life, whether that’s been good, whether that’s been bad. And then obviously coming to the WNBA, like I’ve said, I feel like I’ve earned every single thing that’s happened to me over the course of my career,” Clark began.
