“It’s ’cause she’s white”: Ex-Laker Matt Barnes doesn’t hold back on "hate" around Caitlin Clark

Former LA Lakers forward Matt Barnes did not mince words when asked about the "hate" surrounding Caitlin Clark. Barnes gave a glowing assessment of Clark and said he believes the Fever star is targeted because she is white.

“I feel like there's a lot of hate on Caitlin Clark,” Barnes said on the 'Skip Bayless Show' on Tuesday (Timestamp: 1:02:45), "I think it's 'cause she's white, 'cause she's a hooper and she's going out there and bust people's a** every single night, and it's this little pretty petite country girl that you're not expecting.

“Again … she's not super athletic, she's not super big, but boy can she shoot that ball, and she is must-watch TV.”

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Barnes believes Clark is comparable to Tiger Woods in terms of impact. Just like Woods attracted non-golf fans to his games, Clark has brought in a wave of non-basketball fans.

Barnes also mentioned that while Angel Reese is a great player, Clark is on a different level. He also believes that Clark’s impact has been beneficial to women throughout the WNBA and noted that the league’s viewership fell when she was injured earlier this season. Ticket prices also saw a lot of fluctuation when Clark was injured.

Caitlin Clark is on pace to break her own single-season assists record

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Caitlin Clark burst onto the WNBA last year as a rookie, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Clark set the record for most assists in a single season with 337 in 2024.

This season, Clark is averaging 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. If she continues at this pace, she will break the single-season assists record for the second year in a row. Clark has yet to record fewer than six assists this season and is getting better with each passing game.

After losing to the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday, Clark & Co. will return to the floor to take on the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. This will be the first Aces-Fever game of the 2025 WNBA season.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Krutik Jain