The Stacked Deck and the Secret Agenda: How the WNBA Tried to Undermine Caitlin Clark’s Historic Rookie Season
The arrival of a generational talent into any professional sports league is usually met with fanfare, celebration, and a clear path toward establishing their dominance. When Caitlin Clark, the transcendent star who shattered the NCAA’s all-time scoring record—male or female—stepped onto the WNBA court, the excitement was unprecedented. However, as the season unfolded, a darker narrative began to emerge, one that suggests the league itself, and certain corners of the media, were actively working to suppress her impact and manufacture a debate over the Rookie of the Year award.

What began as an exhilarating chapter for women’s basketball has spiraled into a dramatic contention, where historic achievement is being pitted against a crafted storyline. As renowned commentator Dan Patrick recently warned, the WNBA appeared to set Clark up for failure from the very start, only for her brilliance to shine through despite the intentional obstacles. Now, the question isn’t whether Clark deserves the award, but why the league seems so invested in creating a false alternative.

The Unfair Gauntlet: Clark’s Baptism by Fire
The Indiana Fever, which drafted Clark, were coming off a season as one of the league’s worst teams. A typical rebuilding strategy would involve easing a star rookie into the professional grind. Instead, as Dan Patrick revealed, the league seized on Clark’s immense popularity by “cramming a lot of games in over a short amount of time” and scheduling her immediately against the WNBA’s “best teams” and quality veterans who had recently been in the playoffs [04:49]. The result was predictable: the Fever started 0-5 and then 1-8.

This stacked early schedule served as immediate ammunition for critics, who were quick to label the rookie “overrated” [02:56]. The narrative quickly shifted from celebrating her potential to scrutinizing her struggles, ignoring the context of the toughest schedule given to any team, let alone one helmed by a rookie. Furthermore, Clark arrived under “the heaviest spotlight any player has ever faced in the league” [03:52], turning every possession into a viral moment and every off-night into a national headline. Opponents, recognizing the weight of the moment, threw “everything at her, including some cheap shots and dirty tactics” [03:59], placing a literal and metaphorical bullseye on her back every single game [05:18].

Any other player might have crumbled under such pressure. Yet, Clark, demonstrating the resilience that defined her collegiate career, steadily rallied her team and climbed the ranks, proving that the struggle was merely a foundation for her inevitable rise.

Redefining Rookie Standards: The Clark Resume
The arguments designed to diminish Clark’s season instantly fall apart when confronted with the statistical and historical reality of her performance. Her collegiate legacy alone—surpassing Pistol Pete Maravich’s long-standing record of 3,667 points [00:48]—is the stuff of legend. But her transition to the WNBA has been nothing short of seamless, shattering expectations game by game.

Most notably, Clark entered the record books in a pivotal game against the New York Liberty, delivering a stunning performance of 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists, along with two steals [01:04]. This singular outing made her the first rookie in WNBA history to achieve a triple-double and the first player in Indiana Fever history to reach that milestone [01:19]. This achievement is a testament to her elite playmaking vision, a talent some attribute to her experience playing soccer growing up, allowing her “to be able to see something before it happens” on the court [01:38].

Her dominance isn’t limited to one historic night. She became the quickest rookie in WNBA history to reach 100 points and 50 assists, achieving the feat in only eight games [02:26]. She is just the fourth rookie ever to record 50 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in her first three professional outings [03:35]. Furthermore, she is dominating her class, leading all newcomers in both scoring and assists, and is already ranking third in the entire league for assists overall [01:49]. The all-time rookie record for assists, set at 7.5 per game by Tisha Peniro in 1998, is firmly within her grasp, averaging 7.4 per game [02:04].

Beyond individual accomplishments, her impact on her franchise is generational. In a single game against the Phoenix Mercury, she and Aaliyah Boston became the first duo in Fever history to record 20-point double-doubles [09:50]. Clark’s own assist records are rapidly becoming unreachable, holding Fever records for both assists in a single quarter and assists in a single game [10:04]. In her first 24 games alone, she tied her own franchise assist record four separate times [10:10]. Her game is not stagnating; it is rapidly accelerating, with her performance in her last ten games demonstrating a remarkable improvement in speed, ball handling, and shooting [08:38].

The Manufactured Rivalry: A Double Standard Revealed
Despite the mountain of historic evidence favoring Clark, a fierce and highly publicized debate has been manufactured, focusing on the impressive performance of Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. Reese’s own achievements are undeniable: she has cemented her place in WNBA history by pushing the rookie record for consecutive double-doubles to a stunning 13 straight by July 7th, 2024 [05:59]. This consistency earned her Rookie of the Month honors and placed her performance in comparison with the legendary Yolanda Griffith and Candace Parker [05:32].

However, the intensity and focus on Reese’s streak have raised suspicions among veteran commentators. Jason Whitlock questioned the league’s motives, suggesting the focus on the double-double streak is a deliberate attempt to “draw a box” and create a distraction, noting that in the NBA, “no one knows who has the record for nine straight” double-doubles because “it’s a distinction, it’s not a record” [07:19].

The crux of the argument against Clark comes from the controversial stance put forth by legendary coach Don Staley, who argued that Clark is “supposed to be great” because of her college career, and therefore, her success is expected. By contrast, Staley suggested that Angel Reese should be the Rookie of the Year because her success is a “surprise” [06:31]. This reveals a stunning double standard: punishing the most dominant player for living up to the hype, while rewarding another for exceeding lower expectations.

Adding further scrutiny to the narrative, some observers have noted that Angel Reese’s team appears to be “actively setting her up for double doubles” [09:32], a claim that, while difficult to prove, certainly lends weight to the argument that a manufactured competition is underway to “spin alternative narratives” and “manufacture more competition for awards” [07:33] in a race that should be considered over.

The Verdict: An Undeniable Legacy
Ultimately, the attempt to downplay Clark’s impact through a tough schedule, constant scrutiny, or a manufactured rival narrative has failed. As Colin Cowherd noted, critics have an agenda, often zeroing in on her “rare off nights” to fit a predetermined script [07:52].

Dan Patrick rightly dismissed the entire Rookie of the Year argument as “silly” [09:04]. While acknowledging Angel Reese as an “absolute force in the paint” and a “wonderful player,” he highlighted the core difference in their value and impact: “I don’t think you look at Chicago and go, ‘Boy, if we stop Angel Reese, we’re going to win.’” [08:59]. Clark, on the other hand, operates with the entire defensive focus of the opposing team aimed squarely at her back every game, yet she still delivers historic, all-around performances.

The level of impact, the sheer volume of shattered records, and the undeniable surge in WNBA popularity driven by her presence make the Rookie of the Year discussion a formality. Any outcome that denies the award to Caitlin Clark would not only be a major misstep but a serious setback for the credibility and growth of women’s basketball [11:06]. In a very short span, Clark has already carved her name into WNBA history, and no amount of counter-narrative can change the fact: she is destined to be an all-time great.