ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco, who is a play-by-play commentator for both the NBA and WNBA, said that people need to feel more comfortable being critical of more than just Fever superstar Caitlin Clark in order for the women’s league to grow.
During Thursday’s installment of the “Girls Tripp” podcast, Ruocco explained that he believes people are afraid to analyze players in the WNBA who are not Clark and Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese.
“For this league to grow, people have to feel more comfortable being critical and it not being a personal attack or hating,” Ruocco said. “And, people have to be critical of more than just Caitlin Clark quite frankly.
“In my opinion, most of the ecosystem feels comfortable being critical about one player, maybe two. Angel [Reese] would be the other. Everybody else.. people are very afraid to say anything bad about even if it’s very small, micro thing. And that’s not real sports.”
Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, and Reese, the No 7 pick in that draft, are two of the most polarizing players in the league.
Both have been named an All-Star each year they’ve been in the league, with Clark taking home the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
Clark is currently in MVP talks.
Reese’s 27 double-doubles lead the WNBA.
The college rivals carried that momentum to the league after Reese and LSU beat Clark and Iowa in the 2023 national title game.
Reese famously waved her hand in front of Clark’s face — the “you can’t see me” gesture — when LSU took down Iowa, 102-85 in the national championship.
Clark and Hawkeyes beat Reese and the Lady Tigers in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four the next year.
The pair have been pitted against each other in the league ever since, despite both saying their relationship is a competitive one on the court and that nothing is personal.
Clark and Reese became faces of the NIL (name, image, and likeness) era during their respective college careers.
