"This dude had one job": Reddit co-founder berates journalist over questionable back and forth with Caitlin Clark

Indiana rolled out the red carpet for Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft who will become the Fever’s franchise cornerstone.

She was greeted by a handful of Pacers players, including coach Rick Carlisle and All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton. The former Iowa superstar was given royal treatment by fans and the organization she will be playing for.

Clark met with the media on Wednesday for the first time as a member of the Fever. She expressed her excitement leading into the draft and shared her thoughts when Indiana picked her No. 1.

The day couldn’t have been any better until one reporter had a strange, if not creepy, back-and-forth with perhaps women’s basketball’s biggest star.

Gregg Doyel, a journalist working for the Indianapolis Star, opened his interaction by asking Caitlin Clark to do the “heart” sign. She responded by saying that the gesture was for “my family after every game.” Doyel made it bizarre when he continued:

“Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.”

The reporter’s comment quickly created a storm on X, formerly Twitter. Alexis Ohanian, Reddit’s co-founder tweeted:

“Dude had one job…”

Gregg Doyel probably wanted to come off as funny, but the incident turned off many on social media. A few showed clips of his X exchanges, which some thought to be quite creepy. Several want his credentials to be yanked from him.

---

Caitlin Clark’s weird exchange with a reporter ended quite well

Gregg Doyel eventually got around to asking Caitlin Clark the question he wanted answered. He asked if the Fever winning the draft lottery had some significance in her decision to leave college basketball.

Clark responded (5:00 mark):

“I was hoping that Indiana got the first pick, it would have made my life a lot better. … Obviously, that’s just not the reason I wanted to leave [Iowa]. I was just ready for a new challenge, something new in my life.

"To be able to come here, stay in the Midwest, only five hours from Iowa City, seven hours from where I grew up, you can’t script it any better. It was really a no-brainer for me.”

Basketball fans might not have known that part of her thought process when she decided to turn pro if not for Doyel. Despite the awkward start, the back-and-forth ended quite well.

With Caitlin Clark on the roster, the Indiana Fever will be under the microscope. The weird experience Clark went through might have already prepared her for the circus that could be following her pro basketball career.

---