LeBron James and Charles Barkley on Wednesday sent messages to some of Caitlin Clark’s haters.
On Wednesday’s episode of his new show with J.J. Redick called “Mind the Game,” James talked about some of the criticism Clark has received. James backed Clark and his message was very clear — she is great for the sport of women’s basketball.
“The one thing that I love that she’s bringing to her sport? More people want to watch. More people want to tune in. … Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things is (sic) gonna happen for the WNBA,” James said.
James also suggested Clark to stay above the fray and not get involved with her critics. You can listen to his comments, though beware of the F-word he uses.
Here’s what @KingJames has to say about @CaitlinClark22 and the hate that she has received during her time in the WNBA.
Watch the full episode with @jj_redick: https://t.co/5hyyY2bIhe pic.twitter.com/db4Jvj7OFD
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) May 22, 2024
Barkley saw James’ comments and echoed the sentiment during TNT’s pregame show ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Timberwolves and Mavericks.
“You women out there, you all petty, man. Hey, LeBron, you 100 percent right, all these girls hating on Caitlin Clark, you all petty. … You all should be thanking that girl for getting y’all a– private charters, all the money and visibility she bringing to the WNBA, don’t be petty like dudes,” Barkley said.
Charles Barkley comes to the defense of LeBron James and Caitlin Clark:
“LeBron you are 100% right on these girls hating on Caitlin Clark. Y’all petty.”
(via: @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/thprlOHbIC
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 23, 2024
There have been a number of detractors who dissect Clark’s popularity and ascribe it to her skin color or other factors. Then there have been some well known female basketball figures questioning how successful Clark will be in the WNBA.
James and Barkley think those people need to quiet down and appreciate what Clark is doing.
