When the WNBA unveiled its 30-year anniversary poster, fans immediately noticed several of the league’s biggest names. Legends like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Dawn Staley featured alongside current stars A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Angel Reese.
But one name not being there became the biggest talking point: Indiana Fever star Cailtlin Clark. She won Rookie of the Year in her debut season, set the league’s single-season assists record with 337 and set rookie marks with 769 points and 122 made 3-pointers.
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Off the court, she has also played a major role in increasing television ratings, attendance and overall interest around the league.
Considering everything Clark has done for the league since arriving as the No.1 overall pick in 2024, many fans questioned how the WNBA’s biggest face could be left off a poster celebrating three decades of the league.
The discussion eventually made its way to Sophie Cunningham’s podcast, where even Clark’s Fever teammates admitted she didn’t understand the decision.
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Cunningham didn’t think she belonged on the poster over Clark
Clark’s impact on the WNBA has extended well beyond the stat sheet, and that’s why many fans were surprised when she was missing from the anniversary poster.
During a recent episode of “Show Me Something,” Cunningham and co-host West Wilson discussed the backlash. Wilson suggested WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was receiving criticism because some fans believed Clark had become a bigger face of the league than anyone in the front office expected.
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Cunningham did not fully entertain Wilson’s theory that the WNBA Commissioner was jealous of Clark, but she couldn’t grasp the reason for such ignorance.
“It is a joke, and this is why Cathy in the WNBA is getting lit up on social media because you’re leaving out a generational, the best player to ever go through the WNBA on this poster,” Cunningham said. “Like, honestly, if they were smart, they would market the s—t out of some of us. They don’t.”
The Fever guard also questioned why the league wasn’t doing more to promote some of Indiana’s biggest stars, including Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.
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“Why are we putting random players on there? I’m one of them,” Cunningham added.
It’s not exactly seen a lot of times that a player publicly questions her own name, especially when they benefit from it. Cunningham did just that, saying she couldn’t justify being featured ahead of Clark.
Clark’s absence came down to licensing, not jealousy
Not long after the fans took to social media to question Cathy Engelbert, the reason for Clark’s omission came to light. According to reports, the issue had nothing to do with the league choosing to leave her out.
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Instead, it came down to licensing rights surrounding her NIL agreements.
Nike controls her image rights through her reported $28 million endorsement deal. While several of her other agreements allow companies to use her name and jersey number, they do not automatically include her likeness.
WinCraft, the company responsible for designing the anniversary poster, did not have permission to use Clark’s NIL. That surely answered the why, but didn’t necessarily quiet the conversation.
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Many fans see Caitlin as the biggest attraction the WNBA has ever had, and her numbers back up her hype. Through her first 70 regular-season games, Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds while bagging two All-WNBA selections.
That’s why Cunningham also resonated with so many fans and analysts.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jul 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
