Caitlin Clark Fans Take Issue With WNBA's MVP Rankings
Caitlin Clark has been dominant of late.
The Indiana Fever rookie is making the historic look routine, scoring and assisting at a rate the WNBA has never seen.
Clark's team has also made a huge leap in the standings, as the Fever have already won more games this season than the last two combined.
Combining those two things makes for a strong league MVP case.
Which is probably why some fans were a little taken aback with the WNBA's latest MVP Ladder.
The MVP is decided via a point system determined by the order voters submit their list of top-5 candidates in. So in the latest piece written by Mark Schindler, and published on the league's official website, the ladder is formatted 1-5. With Clark not making the cut.
Caitlin was given an honorable mention, but the actual list featured A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, and Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun; in that order.
This left some Clark and Fever fans understandably confused since CC has better statistics than several of the players ranked above her, and given the turnaround the team has experienced in her first season.
Notable Clark fan X account @CClarkReport posted the ranking on social media, while asking others what they thought of the list. The responses were to be expected.
The WNBA has Caitlin Clark ranked #6 in the MVP ladder
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) September 8, 2024
Too low or too high? pic.twitter.com/oGK0v3hHOw
X user @Giftaveli wrote, "They're just trying to get clicks."
Another user @sidelpm added, "That’s ridiculous CC has been better than AT and Sab. Clark’s just better. Too low."
It is worth pointing out that Clark does indeed have the edge almost across the board in a statistical head-to-head with both Ionescu and Thomas, as shown in a graphic posted by @Sudharsan_ak with the caption saying, "Caitlin Clark is a honorable mention in MVP race. Oh you've gotta be kidding me."
Caitlin Clark is a honorable mention in MVP race 😶😶😶
— Ashwin (@Sudharsan_ak) September 10, 2024
Oh you've gotta be kidding me😒😒😒😒 https://t.co/F90IMo7mFb pic.twitter.com/6jGCLFiJvP
One other sampling of the numerous comments came from @SOULbeautifulme who stated, "Too damn LOW… we gotta start being honest about Caitlin’s impact."
While many of these reactions come from supporters of Clark and are certainly skewed as a result, it is understandable why her fans would be frustrated.
After a season's worth of manufactured Rookie of the Year debates where Caitlin had obviously distinguished herself, seeing her so low in the MVP rankings could be seen as unjust on the merits.
Because it is hard to seriously argue that there have been five WNBA players more valuable than Caitlin Clark this season.
ROBIN LUNDBERG
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!