NFL legend Shannon Sharpe was on the defensive on Monday after Caitlin Clark was named the Associated Press WNBA Rookie of the Year.
With the Indiana Fever off to a 1-8 start, the 2024 season has been a long one for Clark, full of questions and criticism about how her college playing days will translate to the WNBA.
But the shooter tuned out the noise and thrived as she became accustomed to the league, setting WNBA rookie and single-game records en route to an All-Star appearance and then leading the Fever to a sixth-place finish after the Olympic break.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark smiles at the referee during a game against the Connecticut Suns at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Aug. 28, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Indianapolis Star-Imagn Images)
Clark was named the Associated Press WNBA Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-WNBA First Team. Sharpe blasted the criticism of Clark on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t say this,” he said. “A lot of this noise came from people sitting at this network, trying to belittle her and saying, ‘You’re giving her all this honor, but what about the women who came before her?’ You can’t undo what the women who came before her accomplished, what they accomplished. It has nothing to do with Caitlin Clark. But there were a lot of people who tried to keep Caitlin Clark in her position, because if you give her all this honor, you’re underestimating what they accomplished.”
Sharp said praising Clark and recognizing her play doesn’t diminish the accomplishments of great players, but “we should have paid tribute to her all along.”
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Shannon Sharpe speaks onstage at the RenderATL Tech Conference on June 14, 2024 at AmericasMart in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
“You look at the ratings, you look at the merchandise sales, you look at the attendance numbers and you want to separate it,” he added. “‘But what about the women who built the foundation? What about this?’ ‘What about this?’ That has nothing to do with Caitlin Clark.”
“Caitlin Clark is a box office draw. She’s doing this. And instead of acknowledging her, you’re trying to be like, ‘Oh, you’re all despising the old forces.’ You’ve never talked about the old forces like this. No, I won’t miss it.”
The Fever guard broke the league’s single-season assist record (337), became the most points ever scored by a rookie (769) and led Indiana to the postseason.


Indiana Fever’s Lexi Hull (10) and teammate Kaitlyn Clark watch from the bench during the fourth quarter of a playoff game on Sept. 22, 2024 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Mark Smith-Imagn Images)
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Clark started all 40 regular season games for the Fever and averaged 19.2 points per game. She was the first rookie to record a triple-double and the first player in Fever franchise history to do so. She set a WNBA record for most assists in a game with 19 assists in July against the Dallas Wings.
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