A few days ago, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon used the media to “dispel” any suggestion that the WNBA veteran disliked Caitlin Clark.
“We love Kaitlin Clark. I think she’s great. I watch as much as I can. Our league loves her,” Harmon began.
She then took a swipe at the racial narrative – with her own star player, A’ja Wilson, saying race was a “huge factor” in Clark’s popularity.
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Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon watches a WNBA game against the Dallas Wings on Sunday, June 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Lodge, Filer)
“Even the thing about Black and White — don’t talk about it. It’s not there. It’s not there. So turn off the noise, Black and White, what is she, 22 years old? She’s a stressed-out 22-year-old woman. She’s not perfect.
Many viewed this as an attack on Wilson, who actually stood next to Harmon during the plea. When Harmon was asked about the comments, a reporter said they had been “misinterpreted a few times.”
“This has been interpreted as some of our minority black and brown women hating her because she’s white, but that’s not the case. Let’s leave Caitlin out of that. I think what’s disturbing is… this isn’t about Caitlin’s. harmon says.
“But what it does is, it highlights that the greatness of black and brown people is not celebrated or valued as much. That’s what I’m saying.”
These recent comments do appear to echo Wilson’s comments earlier this month.
The LSU Women’s Tigers play against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2023 During the break, Becky Hammon was recognized as a 2023 member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s class. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photo via Getty Images)
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“It’s really because as a black woman, you can be a top person, but maybe that’s something people don’t want to see,” Wilson said at that time. “They think there’s no market for it, so it doesn’t matter how hard I work. As black women, it doesn’t matter what we do, we’re still going to be swept under the rug. That’s why it boils over when people say it has nothing to do with race. , I feel very passionate, because this is indeed the case.
Before Friday’s game, Clark was asked about “the narrative around the attention” she’s received “compared to some of the veterans who have been in this league for a long time.”
“To be honest, I’m not on social media that much. I don’t read that stuff,” Clark said. “This is my job. My job is to compete and play basketball every day. I think the more attention we get to every team in the league, it’s only going to help me get better and better.
“My job is to continue to go out there and help this team get better. We’re fighting for our first win. That’s my main focus.”
Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon after defeating the New York Liberty during Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 18, 2023 in New York City Family celebrates. The Aces defeated Liberty 70-69. (Sarah Steele/Getty Images)
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Clark and the Fever earned their first win on Friday night, thanks to the rookie hitting a clutch three-pointer in front of a star-studded crowd at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles against the Sparks.
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