Fever executive stands up for Caitlin Clark after Mystics owner's controversial remarks

Indiana Fever's chief operating officer (COO) and general manager (GM), Amber Cox, was the most recent figure to speak out against the controversial comments about her star player, Caitlin Clark.

On Saturday, in an interview on "In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams," the host asked Cox for her response to the comments made by Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson on Dec. 13 criticizing Clark.

"I think Caitlin Clark deserves that award," Cox said, referring to the Time 2024 Athlete of the Year.

"Through the years, dating back to the beginning of the league, there have been incredible players. Incredible basketball, we all know that. There have been great people working on the front office side as well, trying to build the foundation, build the fandom around it," she added.

Cox argued that Clark's popularity doesn't negate the efforts of others, going on to opine that sports is 'generational' and the league is still growing.

"Sports to me is generational. We've been at this not very long, less than 30 years. ... We've been through like one generation, so we're still growing in that regard," Cox uttered.

"What Caitlin Clark did, because so many eyeballs were on her. She is a huge multiplier effect of that. Because she has so many fans and you saw it across arenas: people are moving games. Because so many people wanted to see her play."

"I don't take anything away from other players that brought more eyeballs, Angel (Reese) [and] Cameron (Brink). ... The identity and how much brand recognition these players now have in college, absolutely helped the WNBA. But we've never seen anything like Caitlin Clark," she concluded.

In a press release on Oct. 4, Cox was named COO and GM of the Fever. She officially joined Indiana on Oct. 28. She replaced Lin Dunn, who became the Senior Advisor to Fever Basketball.

Cox has a diverse background in the sports industry and experience with several WNBA organizations. She started her career with the Phoenix Mercury and became President and COO. During her tenure, Phoenix won two championships (2007 and 2009). She was also part of the Connecticut Sun as its Vice President for Sports.

Before the recent move to Indiana, she was COO of the Dallas Wings.

Billionaire Sheila Johnson criticizes Caitlin Clark

Fresh from the announcement that Caitlin Clark is Time's Athlete of the Year, Johnson, in an interview with CNN's Amanda Davies, argued the popularity and fame of WNBA rookie.

Caitlin Clark at the 2024 'A Year In Time' event (Credits: Getty)

"This year, something clicked with the WNBA and it’s because of the draft of players that came in. It’s not just Caitlin Clark, it’s Reese,” Johnson said, adding, "We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don't think we can just pin it on one player."

Johnson then went off to suggest that the Time cover should feature the entirety of the league.

"Why couldn't they have put the whole WNBA on the cover and said, 'The WNBA is the League of the Year,' because of all the talent that we have."

Many fans and personalities disagree with Johnson's controversial take against Clark.