Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly the most high-profile player in the WNBA. However, according to ESPN, she’s nowhere near that best.
After a sensational, record-breaking rookie season that saw her earn an All-Star nod as well as the league’s Rookie of the Year award, Clark’s second season in the WNBA did not go quite as planned. Not only did Clark’s stats drop across the board, but she also spent a significant portion of the season sidelined with an injury.
Now, Clark is looking to bounce back this season, but she seems to have lost quite a bit of the momentum and hype she had with the media.
Ahead of the 2026 WNBA season, ESPN released a set of power rankings, ranking the top 50 players in the league. While Clark might be the face of the league, she came in at just No. 10 on the list.
“Clark received the fourth-most MVP votes as a rookie while setting a single-season league record for assists and posting the second-most 3-point field goals in a season,” ESPN wrote of Clark.
“She became one of the league’s best passers and long-range shooters the moment she stepped onto a WNBA court, and was just getting started when she was named Rookie of the Year and first-team all-WNBA in 2024. Injuries limited her to only 13 games in 2025, but she was still named an All-Star,” the ESPN blurb continued.
Ranked ahead of Clark was Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum at No. 9, reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings at No. 8, Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray at No. 7, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu at No. 6, Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young at No. 5, New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart at No. 4, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier at No. 3, Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas at No. 2, and reigning MVP A’ja Wilson at No. 1.
Needless to say, Clark’s ranking quickly sparked outrage amongst WNBA fans, who expressed their displeasure on social media.
“I love Paige, but how is she ahead of CC after one yr? Caitlin’s rookie year was better than hers if we’re going based off one season. Literally none of the four players ahead of CC make any sense,” one fan wrote in a post on X.
“Paige Bueckers, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Alisha Gray even Alyssa Thomas are not above CC. What is this harebrained nonsense?” someone else wrote in another post.
“This is mad disrespectful. Imagine ESPN treating LeBron or Jordan like this when he was playing,” someone else added.
“So Caitlin is 10 because of Injuries last season??? Despite winning MVP for USA??” someone else questioned.
“This is all so unserious,” another person commented.
Needless to say, fans were not exactly happy about Clark’s ranking. We’ll have to see whether or not she can prove ESPN wrong this upcoming season.
About Dave Kelsey
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