WNBA and Connecticut Suns veteran Natasha Cloud's opinion on physicality against Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and the rookie class hasn't gone down well with most fans. Cloud rejected the idea that the veterans committed hard fouls against the league's newest stars in the 2024 season.
The veteran guard blamed the new fans that have come into the league because of stars like Clark and Reese instead. She claimed the WNBA has always been a physical league, but the reaction to the rough fouls was blown out of proportion because they weren't aware of how the league was before Clark and Reese's arrival.
Here's what Cloud said after appearing on former NFL player Ryan Clark's show, "The Pivot Podcast," which premiered Saturday:
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"The craziness that came with the new fandom was rooted in something other than fandom. I think that's very evident across the board. It has not been about basketball. The game has always been physical. There was no targeting. That narrative that got spun was all BS. What it is, is racism."
After Natasha Cloud's comments went viral, fans opposed her opinion, defending Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Here's what one fan tweeted:
Another tweeted:
Another said:
"I'm pretty sure over half of all the F1 calls in the league last yr were committed against Clark. Plus a few that shoulda been. But yeah she wasn't treated any different.."
One fan added:
"Griner tried to take Rickea head off with an elbow then wanted to fight when confronted."
One fan called Cloud "cringe":
"Yikes. Cloud is such a baller on court but her off court commentary is so cringe"
Natasha Cloud gives passionate commentary amid fans' outrage on physicality against Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese
Sun veteran Natasha Cloud gave a passionate statement after fans blamed the WNBA's veterans for harshly treating rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Cloud believes the veterans did nothing wrong and only followed the trend that has been there for years against the league's best players, where everyone has faced this kind of physicality in the past, especially the franchise players.
She called Clark one of the best players in the league and compared her to Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, among others. Cloud also claimed that the WNBA players are playing to "feed their families," which inspires them to adapt to a hard-nosed playing style.
"This is how we feed our families," Clark said on "The Pivot Podcast."
"Our job is to go win. And if we don't win what happens to us? We get fired. We lose our jobs. So, if you telling me the difference between me keeping my job is you and that basket, you gonna have to go all the way f**king through me."
The intensity has always been the same in the WNBA, but some may feel that the Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese-led rookie class faced some got the worse treatment. It could be true to an extent, but even that's common across pro sports leagues. Several players in their debut season have faced such issues, and Clark and Reese were no exception.
