Caitlin Clark continues to find herself at the center of online controversy through little fault of her own.
The latest debate has focused on whether the Indiana Fever star is the WNBA’s “face of the league” and whether she receives fair treatment from the league and its players.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar weighed in on the discussion in a recent post on his Substack. While praising Clark as a “very good” player, he argued that labeling her the face of the league just three years into her career is “disrespectful” to the many accomplished players who came before her and continue to play today.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Comments
Abdul-Jabbar made the remarks after Republican lawmakers sent a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert regarding Clark’s treatment.
“My first reaction to this letter was to check the calendar and make sure it wasn’t April Fools’ Day,” he wrote.
“Don’t get me wrong: Clark is a very good, possibly even a great, player,” he continued. “But calling any one player the face of the league, absent the sort of on-court and cross-platform dominance of a Michael Jordan or a LeBron James, is an insult to an awful lot of great players.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says calling Caitlin Clark the face of the WNBA is disrespectful to those who’ve paved the way. pic.twitter.com/qdJRyRknIo
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 15, 2026
Dave Portnoy Responds
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, an outspoken Clark supporter, quickly pushed back on Abdul-Jabbar’s comments in a lengthy social media post, calling the criticism of Clark “steeped in jealousy and stupidity.”
“Let’s keep in mind Caitlin didn’t ask for this,” Portnoy wrote. “She’s never said she was the face of the league. She’s always shown respect for those who came before her. She could squash this league like a bug if she started her own league.
“When she was asked to do the NBA 3-point contest, she said she wanted to do the WNBA one first. She has fought for players’ salaries. But she is by far the most popular player in the league by every metric possible,” he added. “Was it disrespectful to past tennis players when Serena and Venus instantly became the faces of women’s tennis or Tiger with golf? The market dictates who the face of the league is, and it’s clearly Caitlin. This argument makes zero sense and is just steeped in jealousy and stupidity.”
Dave Portnoy Calls Out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Over Caitlin Clark Comments