Sue Bird Bluntly Asserts Caitlin Clark's Race 'Doesn't Put the Ball in the Hoop'
There have been endless takes about Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark's comments in a December 11 feature article on her after she won Time Athlete of the Year for 2024.
The comments that have stirred up the most debate are when she 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... The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Everybody in the sports world seems to have an opinion on this quote. And the most recent person to share hers is WNBA legend Sue Bird, who did so on a December 18 episode of the "A Touch More" podcast.
"Her race doesn't put the ball in the hoop," Bird said of Clark. "Nobody's race puts the ball in the hoop.
"At the same time, she isn't apologizing," Bird continued. "I didn't read that remark and think she's apologizing for being White. What she's doing is acknowledging how our country is set up in terms of race, which I thought was wonderful... And this faction of her fanbase that is now disgusted with her acknowledging [it] is just showing they were never really here for basketball."
Bird continued by saying, "I almost want to just pose some questions... If she were Black, would that have changed how this played out for her? Would it have been a different story? Would it have been covered differently? If when DiJonai Carrington poked her in the eye, if it was two Black players involved? That's just to me, the questions people need to be asking ourselves.
"Nobody is taking anything away from Caitlin as a basketball player," Bird added. "I personally think she deserves to be Time Athlete of the Year. And she says that... and I agree. And also is acknowledging her White privilege."
"Her race doesn't put the ball in the hoop."
— Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) December 18, 2024
- Sue Bird on Caitlin Clark, per @atouchmore pic.twitter.com/T1DVtWUMug
The reaction to Bird's sentiment will be interesting to see.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.