Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark turned 23 on Wednesday. As part of her birthday celebration, Clark announced a partnership with Scholastic's national literacy program to donate 22,000 books to under-resourced schools, with Iowa and Indiana as the focus points.
Keith Murphy of Sound Off reported Clark’s reason for donating books as part of her birthday celebration.
“Reading and education have always been hugely important in my life,” Caitlin Clark said.
However, this didn’t sit well with Arielle Chambers of Andscape as she tweeted that the “WNBA is so important” contradicting what Clark had said. That didn’t sit well with fans on Social media, particularly X, as a fan called her out and told her to delete the tweet.
“delete. this is embarrassing”
That tweet from the journalist caused a frenzy as fans came online to call her out.
“Caitlin has had her foundation since she was in college ... Can you explain how this relates to them?” a fan tweeted.
“more like caitlin clark is so important. this was through her foundation, this has nothing to do with the wnba,” another fan added.
“I don't disagree but the WNBA didn't do anything here though. This is all Caitlin and her foundation and that should be recognized separately,” a fan commented.
Other fans came on to appreciate Clark for her contribution to society despite the tweet from the journalist.
“Thank you SO much to Caitlin for this generous gift of literacy to our young students! Caitlin is always finding incredible opportunities to give back! What a role model from our own state of Iowa!” a fan tweeted.
“Everyone needs to shut up, thanks for celebrating CCs bday Ari by sharing this. Dream big kids. Dream big!,” another fan mentioned.
Clark has faced criticism since her collegiate days, and the scrutiny has continued in the WNBA. Clark has encountered constant criticism and backlash from fans and analysts, including WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, who downplayed Clark's record-breaking NCAA season.
Clark's rookie WNBA season has coincided with a surge in the league's popularity, marked by record-breaking attendance and increased revenue. Despite these, her critics remain unconvinced that she is the WNBA's next big star.
How Caitlin Clark celebrated her 23rd birthday
Caitlin Clark celebrated her 23rd birthday in a big way. The Caitlin Clark Foundation partnered with Scholastic's United States of Readers program to promote early-age reading access in under-resourced schools nationwide.
Furthermore, as part of the partnership, Scholastic has donated 22,000 new children's books to programs with limited access to books. Clark, who recalled reading Scholastic books as a child, emphasized the importance of reading and education in her life.