Caitlin Clark has been a lightning rod for controversy, often through no fault of her own, since she entered the WNBA. But in her third season, the talk around her has reached an Indiana Fever pitch.
With every call — or no-call — in her vicinity scrutinized and every comment about her spun to fit any number of narratives, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho believes the WNBA might be better off without its biggest star.
“The W, at this junction in time, would be better off without Caitlin Clark because she is a bigger distraction than she is an additive,” Acho, 35, said on the Sunday, June 28 episode of his “Speakeasy” podcast.
It’s a bold statement from Acho, considering Clark, 24, is the most recognizable player in the league and her popularity has helped accelerate the league’s growth from a steady pace to a meteoric rise since the Fever drafted her in 2024.
“Caitlin Clark has gotten the WNBA over the necessary threshold they needed,” Acho continued. “Now, people are watching. Now, we realize there’s talent in the W that’s actually even greater than Caitlin Clark.”
Acho continued to credit Clark for helping grow the league — even incorrectly crediting her for the league’s chartered flight program — but argued that the WNBA doesn’t “need her anymore.”
“Caitlin got the necessary eyes there, but now that the eyes are there,” he said. “With all due respect, if Caitlin disappeared from the W, she wouldn’t be missed.”
Acho’s comments came days after Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury was suspended one game for making contact with Clark’s throat during a scuffle for a loose ball during a game on Wednesday, June 24. The incident sparked fierce debate over the severity of Thomas’ actions, the intent behind them and broader discussions over the officiating in the WNBA.
Fever head coach Stephanie White defended her star during her postgame press conference where she blasted the game’s officials.
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” she said. “And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable.”
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts fired back, calling out the league’s investigation and suspension processes, and responding directly to White’s comments.
“The one thing, [Thomas] is not cheap,” he told reporters on Saturday, June 27. “I respect Steph White; I got to know her with USA basketball. I respect her as a coach and a person, and I understand her sticking up for Caitlin in this situation. But to say that we had two cheap shots in that game to me is ridiculous.”
