Caitlin Clark finished her first season as a professional basketball player in the WNBA and was recently named Time’s Athlete of the Year.
The Indiana Fever star set rookie season records, including a WNBA league record for assists in a single season.
With the added attention Clark has been receiving, in her interview with Time, she reflected on the league’s history and acknowledged her privilege.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark told Time. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.”
She continued, “The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Clark also opened up about not making the team for the Paris Olympics, ultimately coming to terms and understanding why she was not selected.
“I don’t want to be there because I’m somebody that can bring attention,” she said. “I love that for the game of women’s basketball. But at the same time, I want to be there because they think I’m good enough. I don’t want to be some little person that is kind of dragged around for people to cheer about and only watch because I’m sitting on the bench. That whole narrative kind of upset me. Because that is not fair. It’s disrespectful to the people that were on the team, that had earned it and were really good. And it’s also disrespectful to myself.”
