Caitlin Clark's ex-teammate calls out White America's overwhelming, 'sometimes racist' support of Fever star

Caitlin Clark was named the Time Magazine’s 'Athlete of the Year' after an incredible 2024. With her fame and stature, Clark has become one of the, if not the, biggest star that women’s basketball has ever seen.

While Clark enjoys unprecedented fame, her ex-teammate Temi Fagbenle criticized White America’s support for the Indiana Fever star on a racist basis. In an interview with Time Magazine, Fagbenle called out the “sometimes racist” support to her former teammate.

“America was founded on segregation and to this day is very much about Black and White,” said Fagbenle, who will play for the new Golden State Valkyries squad in the 2025 WNBA season.

She went on to express her dismay at Clark’s fanbase, which, she implied, was mostly White Americans.

“In a sport dominated by Black/African-American players, White America has rallied around Caitlin Clark. The support looks mostly amazing, sometimes fanatical and territorial, sometimes racist. It seems that the Great White Hope syndrome is at play again,” Fagbenle said.

Fagbenle played with Clark, who won Rookie of the Year, in the 2024 season. She finished the year averaging 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds as a backup center for the Fever.

Fagbenle did not play in the WNBA for four years before joining the Fever in 2024. She played her best game in a playoff loss against the Connecticut Sun, in which the 32-year-old center started in place of NaLyssa Smith, playing 35 minutes for nine points and nine rebounds.

She was made available by the Fever in the WNBA expansion draft, where she was picked by the Valkyries.

WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson expresses her frustration towards Caitlin Clark’s popularity

Perhaps the biggest name to sound off on Caitlin Clark’s popularity was WNBA regular-season MVP A’ja Wilson. The Las Vegas Aces star said that Clark’s race was a factor in her popularity and it irked her to see other players be on the Fever guard’s shadow during the season.

“It doesn’t matter what we all do as Black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug … That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is,” Wilson said in an interview with the Associated Press, which was quoted in the Time Magzine feature of Clark.

Wilson has been known as a savvy inside operator, leading the charge for the Aces with averages of 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. This is en route to being one of the best players in the league.

Meanwhile, Clark ended her first year as a professional player, norming 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists as the focal point of the Fever franchise.