FS1’s Colin Cowherd took issue with how WNBA players voted for Caitlin Clark ahead of the All-Star game on July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark will be a captain for the game, but it will come as no thanks from the league’s players.
Via a weighted score, Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers was the most popular guard for the All-Star game. She finished second in fan voting, fifth in media voting, and fourth in player voting. Clark was the most popular with fans, but she finished third in media voting and was ninth in player voting.
Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray finished first in media and player voting, and Sabrina Ionescu finished second in player and media voting.
During a recent broadcast of “The Herd,” Cowherd claimed Clark finished ninth in player voting because of “pettiness.”
“Clark finished ninth in player voting,” Cowherd said. “In fact, she finished behind one of her own teammates in player voting for the All-Star Game. The pettiness has no bounds.”
Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 5. rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game. She’s averaging the second-most assists and 12th-most points per game.
Cowherd believes race played a factor in player voting.
“There’s obviously a racial component here,” Cowherd said. “The WNBA players just don’t like what the wave looks like. They wanted to fly private. They wanted to be more popular. They wanted a better deal in the CBA–which they’ll get. They wanted sold-out arenas. They got it.
“They just don’t necessarily think it should be this. But again, you can’t fight it. You just never know what success looks like.”
The league’s players stand to make a lot more money because of Clark, Angel Reese, and Bueckers. However, the pettiness jeopardizes the potential growth of the sport. Players need to worry about making the overall play on the court better rather than trying to beat the crap out of Clark to take her off of it.
At No. 9, Clark would not be on the floor for the All-Star game. Without Clark, fans wouldn’t tune in to watch the event, which would hurt the players’ leverage in CBA negotiations.
Cooler heads need to prevail.
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