"You were being attention w**re" - Controversial analyst slams Sue Bird for complaints about racism overshadowing basketball in WNBA

This week, WNBA legend Sue Bird explained how racism and controversy have been overshadowing the on-court play throughout the 2024 WNBA season. With the season being the most-watched in WNBA history due to the emergence of Caitlin Clark, much of the coverage surrounding the league has been about racism.

As Bird explained, racism has been a part of the WNBA for years, long before Clark ever entered the league, with new fans and haters using Clark as a pawn to fuel their hateful agendas. The way former ESPN reporter Jason Whitlock sees things, Sue Bird couldn't be more off base.

During the latest episode of his show "Fearless" this week, Whitlock took aim at Sue Bird, pushing back on the narrative that racism and hateful narratives overshadowed the WNBA's on-court play this season.

"They're not talking about basketball because you don't wanna talk about basketball," Whitlock said. "Just as you described there. You couldn't get any traction based on your basketball. And so you decided, 'Hey, we got to talk about racism and sexism to draw attention. We have to kneel during the national anthem to draw attention.'"

"It's bad strategy. You just wanted attention. You were being an attention w**re. And so because your basketball couldn't do it, you went to other things. It's like a kid that can't get attention from its parents. They start acting out. They'll do anything," he added.

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"This has been happening" - Sue Bird pulls back the curtain on racism WNBA players have faced over the years

In the past, the WNBA has struggled to maintain ratings. Despite stars such as Sue Bird, Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker, the league hasn't been able to generate the kind of buzz and media attention they deserve.

This year, however, due to the buzz that young phenom Caitlin Clark generated in college, the slew of NCAA fans she amassed during her time at Iowa followed her to the WNBA.

At the same time, a number of critics and haters also followed Clark, using racism and hatred to defend her throughout the season. This came with calls for Clark to denounce those who took things too far despite the fact that, as Sue Bird explained on the "A Touch More" podcast, racism has been a problem that has plagued the WNBA since long before Clark was a part of the league.

"Racism has been impacting the WNBA well before this year," Bird said. "This is not a new thing. In that way, I think Caitlin is being used as a pawn. Caitlin didn't bring racism to the WNBA. This has been happening. And that, I think, has been a shock for all of us. That other people are surprised by this. We've been trying to tell you."

Now, however, with the added attention that's been on the league, stories like the racist and harrowing email received by DiJonai Carrington during the postseason have been more widely covered than similar stories in the past.

With all of the added attention on the league, fans and players alike have been calling on the WNBA to do more to combat the vile messages players have dealt with.