Caitlin Clark’s introductory press conference with the Indiana Fever on April 17 quickly took a creepy turn.
Clark started the press conference by addressing the media and fans in attendance. After that, she fielded questions from the press.
The second question was asked by Gregg Doyel, columnist at IndyStar. Before Doyel asked his question, he directed heart hands at Clark off camera.
“You like that?” Clark responded.
“I like that you’re here.” said Doyel.
A visibly uncomfortable Clark then said, “Yeah, I do that at my family after every game.”
“Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.” Doyel said, before jumping into his question.
Reporter: 🫶
Caitlin Clark: “You like that?”
Reporter: “I like that you’re here.”
Caitlin: “Yeah, I do that at my family after every game.”
Reporter: “Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.”
Caitlin: 😳
(via @IndianaFever / YT)
Although there were some laughs in the audience, Clark’s deadpan reaction made it clear that she didn’t find the strange comment funny. She played it off like a professional, but social media is now coming at Doyel for his “cringe” interaction.
@TheDunkCentral @ClutchPoints What a weirdo
Be professional you’re there to do your job
‘What a weirdo Be professional you’re there to do your job’, one X user wrote.
‘What a strange thing to do’ said another.
Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy declared his disgust at Doyel’s “nauseating actions”, going so far as to call him a “sexist pervert”.
It’s a shame that Clark’s first press conference with the Fever became marred by one creepy columnist.
Yet, the Iowa icon didn’t let the interaction make her miss a beat.
Clark “Would Love” To Be On Paris 2024 Olympic Team
One major highlight from the press conference was when Clark discussed potentially playing for Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I would love to be on the Olympic team and Paris in 2024, but that’s not up to me,” Clark said, per CBS Sports. “That’s a dream. … You grow up watching the Summer Olympics. To me, it’s better than the Winter Olympics. I want to be on that team, I want to be an Olympic medalist one day.
“It’d really just be a dream come true,” she continued. “Everybody knows how competitive women’s basketball is in our country, so it’ll be hard for really anybody to make that team.”
It remains to be seen whether Clark will be invited to play for Team USA. The Men’s basketball roster was announced on April 17, and features four previous NBA MVP winners.
As Clark alluded to, the Women’s roster won’t be easy for anyone to make.
Team USA’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament Team that was announced on February 4 was star-studded. And that roster didn’t include Brittney Griner or A’ja Wilson, who are considered obvious choices for the actual Olympics roster.
There’s no set date for when that final roster will be announced. When it does, well-deserving players are sure to get left out.
The Fever Are Feeling Clark’s Presence
The Caitlin Clark effect is being felt in Indiana right now.
An April 17 ESPN Instagram post showed that the Fever’s Instagram following has nearly doubled since the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Since that post was made, the Fever have gained 14,000 more followers.
Clark was also welcomed to Indiana by Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton before her press conference.
the future 💫
@Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton stopped by to welcome Caitlin Clark to Indy this morning.
The future looks bright for Indiana basketball fans.
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‘Weirdo’ Reporter Roasted for Creepy Comment Toward Caitlin Clark