Elle Duncan minces no words as she defends Caitlin Clark in harsh response to billionaire WNBA owner

ESPN reporter Elle Duncan had a strong rebuttal to Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson's words about Caitlin Clark being named TIME's 2024 Athlete of the Year. Duncan took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday to respond to Johnson, going in on why Clark's latest honor impacts and gives more exposure to the WNBA.

Duncan didn't mince words to defend the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She questioned Johnson's remarks and offered a different perspective on Clark's milestone.

"About to take a week off and un🔌 from the socials BUT wanna weigh in on a hot topic before I do. Caitlin Clark deserved Time Athlete of the yr and as a member of the W it automatically amplifies the league. To suggest she’s being put on an unfair pedestal because she’s being recognized for a truly uncommon and transformational year is absurd.

"It’s like saying “why hand out an MVP when everyone is so important on a team.” Both things can be true. Sports ALWAYS honors individual accomplishments and there’s nothing unfair about that (unless it’s being used to denigrate others work)

"Kk.. will let yall get loose in the comments and will see yall in a week! Be gd to each other. Santa’s watching. 👀," Duncan tweeted on Saturday.

During an interview with CNN on Friday, Sheila Johnson said that instead of singling out Caitlin Clark, TIME should have named the WNBA the "League of the Year," which would have changed the whole purpose of the award.

Her remarks rubbed a lot of people off and not only fans but journalists, including Elle Duncan, pushed back on that notion.

Before Elle Duncan, Christine Brennan went against Sheila Johnson

Veteran WNBA reporter Christine Brennan used the same platform where Sheila Johnson made her comments about Caitlin Clark and rejected the notion that the W should have been honored instead of a player, even reminding Johnson that Clark made a huge impact on her team's popularity.

"Caitlin Clark deserves that. There's no doubt the impact that she had on the league was extraordinary, the TV ratings, the attendance, the sellouts; even Sheila Johnson's own team, the Washington Mystics, moved their two Indiana Fever games from the 4,200-seat arena to the 20,000-seat arena and in September had the biggest crowd in WNBA history because of Caitlin Clark. And Sheila Johnson knows that," Brennan said.

Elle Duncan also had a lengthy response and it seems like more people will join this crusade as the days go by.