Coming off an outstanding rookie season in the WNBA, Caitin Clark has been named "Athlete of the Year" by TIME. Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson took exception to that decision, saying it's unfair to give Clark all the credit for the WNBA's rise in popularity.
In an interview with CNN, Johnson said that all the focus on Clark has taken the spotlight away from other elite players across the league.
"We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don't think we can just pin it on one player," Johnson said.
When asked why Clark was getting most of the credit for the WNBA's growth in 2024, Johnson pointed to the way the media portrays race in sports. Johnson asserted that non-white players who are just as good as Clark have gotten far less acclaim.
"Well, I want to be very diplomatic about this," Johnson said. "It's just the structure of the way media plays out race. I'm gonna be very honest. I feel very bad because I've seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition they should have. Right now, it is time for that to happen."
Johnson went on to say that TIME could have included the entire WNBA on its cover. She added that all the attention on Clark alone has created "hard feelings" and "stories of racism within the WNBA."
"Why couldn't they have put the whole WNBA on the cover and said, 'The WNBA is the League of the Year,' because of all the talent that we have," Johnson said.
In her interview with TIME, Clark addressed the issue of race, and she advocated for increased promotion of Black players within the league.
"I want to say I've earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege," Clark said. "A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.
"The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it's very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that's going to be a beautiful thing."