"NBA owners didn't complain when Michael Jordan 10x'ed their value": Disappointed Fox Sports analyst comes to Caitlin Clark's defense

Caitlin Clark only needed one season to take the WNBA to new heights. She headlines arguably the most talented WNBA draft class in the league's history, and her dominance on the court was only topped by her meteoric rise off it.

That's why it wasn't much of a surprise to see her being named TIME's Athlete of the Year. If anything, it's hard to think of another athlete who drew more attention than her last season.

Even so, Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson didn't feel that way. If anything, she thinks the league as a whole should've been selected this time:

"It has taken the WNBA almost 28 years to get to the point where we are now and this year, something clicked with the WNBA and it's because of the draft of the players that came in," said Johnson in an interview with CNN.

"It's just not Caitlin Clark. It's (Angel) Reese. We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized. And I don't think we can pin it on just one player."

Johnson then added:

"So last night, TIME Magazine with Caitlin Clark is named Athlete of the Year. Why couldn't they have put the whole WNBA on that cover and said the WNBA is the league of the year? Because of all the talent that we have. Because when we just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings."

However, her view was challenged. Fox Sports analyst Aaron Torres didn't mince his words, calling her out for her comments:

"NBA owners didn't complain when Michael Jordan 10x'ed the value of their franchises," Torres wrote on X. "Other fighters didn't complain when Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather got everyone paid. The people who are running the WNBA are certifiably insane. They really are."

WNBA ratings saw a historically impressive spike in games where Clark played, and the same goes for fan attendance. Once the Indiana Fever got eliminated in the playoffs, the ratings saw a decline, confirming the fanfare towards Clark.

Caitlin Clark calls LeBron James the GOAT

Caitlin Clark, fortunately, has done a great job of steering past controversy. That's when it comes to her own career.

Recently, however, she did share her thoughts on one of the most talked-about subjects in the sports industry, declaring LeBron James as the greatest hooper of all time:

“It’s been cool to just see his support of myself and the ‘W’ overall. I mean, he is the greatest basketball player of all time, so I think that’s pretty cool,” Clark told Time magazine.

James sure has done more than enough to merit being a part of the conversation. Maybe, once it's all said and done, people will say the same about the woman who helped the WNBA go from surviving to thriving.