Amidst Caitlin Clark Discourse Kelsey Plum’s Struggles as ‘5’8″ White Girl’ in WNBA Revelation Resurfaces

Caitlin Clark has been facing a lot of heat for her silence over the hate and bullying Alyssa Thomas and Mercury players were receiving.

Amidst Caitlin Clark Discourse Kelsey Plum’s Struggles as ‘5’8″ White Girl’ in WNBA Revelation Resurfaces

Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum (Image via FirstSportz)

Right now, the entire media spotlight is on Caitlin Clark and her past incident with Alyssa Thomas. For someone who has come in just three years ago, it is tough to take into account everything and still stand for themselves. But for a veteran such as Kelsey Plum, the experience helped her.

The latter was another No. 1 overall pick, who happens to be White. She also came into the league with the NCAA’s all-time scoring record for women.

In the past nine years, the guard has learned how to deal with the league, while also making friends along the way. Now everyone respects her. But it was not like that when she first arrived.

I definitely think that expectations of being a No. 1 pick are brutal. Especially if you have any type of hype, coming out of college… I don’t think it helps being a 5’8″ White girl coming into a league with 85% Black women that want to take your head off. That’s just what it is.

Kelsey Plum said on The Role Player podcast

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said this back in 2024. The context was when the hosts asked whether being the No. 1 overall pick led to added pressure.

But the way she answered it is why this video resurfaced yesterday. That is because the discourse surrounding another White player, Caitlin Clark in particular, has reached a level where many are asking her to take a stand against the online abuse Alyssa Thomas has faced.

Many even asked the Indiana Fever superstar to leave the league, as the distractions coming from her fans are depicting the league in a negative light.

RELATED
Caitlin Clark’s Head Coach Flames Officials For Missing Alyssa Thomas’ Fist to Her Throat

Sophie Cunningham talks mental toughness amidst discourse

While addressing the media at practice, Caitlin Clark talked about how the narratives being built were also affecting her in some way. When it was Sophie Cunningham‘s turn in front of the microphone, reporters asked her about the negativity surrounding the league.

Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham know how to handle negativity
Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham know how to handle negativity (Image via Chris/X)

I don’t know what our league does to help with that, if they really do anything. You can put out statements as much as you want. At the end of the day, you are in the entertainment business. That’s where mental toughness comes in. If you’re gonna live by praise, you’re gonna die by the hate. That’s on the individual person.

Sophie Cunningham replied

The veteran guard was clearly suggesting that Clark was tough enough mentally to handle the negativity being thrown around on social media and mainstream media.

However, it takes a lot to handle such discourses, and for that, the athlete in question should be tough. She again took swipes at the league for not doing its part in helping players, but also made it a point to clarify that it is up to the player how they handle such situations.

Clark has already condemned all the hate Alyssa Thomas or anyone else in the league has faced. It seems the Fever are discussing everything and working with their PR team on how to best handle it.

RELATED
WNBA Omitting Caitlin Clark From 30th Year Poster Irks Congressman: “They’ll All Be Back Flying Coach”

Colin Cowherd slams Caitlin Clark’s peers for undermining her

Apart from this entire discourse around Alyssa Thomas and the fist-to-the-throat incident, what angered fans was that WNBA players voted Caitlin Clark 11th-best at the guard position.

This gets a laugh emoji… At this point, I think it’s funny… Fans ranked her second, media ranked her third… She’s the number one shooter, distributor, play initiator, playmaker, and she’s 11th… The animosity against Caitlin Clark… It’s so petty.

Colin Cowherd said on The Herd

The longtime analyst was actually laughing about this. He felt that when the statistics say otherwise, and both the fans and the media think of her highly, the peers alone voting her this low is a dead giveaway.

It has happened before, and such instances prove that there is animosity against her. But at this point, Cowherd felt that one could only laugh at the other players. He believes this confirms that their opinion about Caitlin Clark will never be better.

Also Read: