With the WNBA season a week away from starting, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark received some respect from Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown.
Brown, who has been in the WNBA since 2018, talked about the league’s rise in popularity during an interview with Fox News Digital. She was more than willing to give Clark and the 2024 draft class credit for the league’s ratings going up.
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“Has it changed how people view the WNBA? Absolutely. I think unfortunately, our value, the respect that we got has been directly attached to how much money we make and it’s not rocket science to see that since her arrival, and the rest of that 2024 class, the WNBA has skyrocketed. I’m not gonna act like that’s not a coincidence,” Brown told Fox News Digital. “I think that people are taking the league more seriously, I think people are taking us more seriously as professional athletes. And I think if you consider that a culture shift, I would say, absolutely.”
Brown then addressed Clark’s fan base, which has received plenty of criticism over the past two years.
While she may not agree with everything Clark’s fans have to say on social media, Brown appreciates that they’re watching the WNBA.
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“There’s now a greater separation between fans and players… we were such like a niche, small community, tight-knit community for so long, and the WNBA has finally broken into this, like the mainstream sports media space, which is everything that we’ve asked for maybe we wouldn’t have this new CBA, we wouldn’t have these new contracts without it,” Brown said. “So I’m not gonna say, I’m not appreciative… these eyes, these new viewers have changed so many of our lives.”
Caitlin Clark’s fans are at odds with ESPN.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s crew of Kendra Andrews, Kareem Copeland, Charlie Creme and Michael Voepel ranked the top 50 players currently in the WNBA. Interestingly enough, they had Clark ranked No. 10 overall.
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“Clark received the fourth-most MVP votes as a rookie while setting a single-season league record for assists and posting the second-most 3-point field goals in a season,” Copeland wrote. “She became one of the league’s best passers and long-range shooters the moment she stepped onto a WNBA court, and was just getting started when she was named Rookie of the Year and first-team all-WNBA in 2024. Injuries limited her to only 13 games in 2025, but she was still named an All-Star.”
It didn’t take long for Clark’s fans to accuse ESPN of pushing a certain agenda.
“Disrespect her & use her image to get clicks,” a Fever fan commented. “I get she was out injured last year, but she still got MVP in FIBA World Cup qualifying. While Im on a roll, of course you disrespected AB & Kelsey Mitchell too.”
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“I love Paige, but how is she ahead of CC after one yr? Caitlin’s rookie year was better than hers if we’re going based off one season. Literally none of the four players ahead of CC make any sense,” a social media user wrote.
We’ll see if Clark silences her critics this upcoming season.
This story was originally published by The Spun on May 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
