WNBA star Caitlin Clark has been on the defensive over “white privilege” in women’s basketball Wednesday, after conservative commentator Megyn Kelly criticized her Time Athlete of the Year interview remarks.
“I try to just be real and authentic and share my truth,” Clark said at a Time dinner in New York City. “I feel like one of my best skills is just blocking things out. The only opinions I really care about are the people I love, my teammates, my coaches, the people inside our locker room.”
The controversy began when Kelly attacked Clark over her public guilt over race in the WNBA.
“[Clark]’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation… Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad,” Kelly posted on X.
REPORT: After being named TIME's "Athlete of the Year," Caitlin Clark apologizes for her white privilege and says that the WNBA is "built" on black players.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege."
"A lot of those players in the… pic.twitter.com/pd2sgmUcfQ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 10, 2024
In her Time interview, Clark had said: “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. 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.”
“I grew up a fan of this league from a very young age,” Clark told NBC Sports host Maria Taylor. “I know there has been so many amazing black women that have been in this league — and continuing to uplift them is very important and that’s something I’m very aware of.”
Clark, who has helped drive record-setting television ratings, merchandise sales, and sponsorship revenue for women’s basketball, maintains that acknowledging the sport’s history and continuing to “elevate Black women” is “going to be a beautiful thing.”