"Imagine if Clark had said the inverse" - Riley Gaines reacts to Brittney Griner's standoff with Caitlin Clark

Swimmer turned social activist Riley Gaines recently reacted to the standoff between Olympic champion Brittney Griner and WNBA player Caitlin Clark during the WNBA game between the Atlanta Dream and the Indiana Fever. The Indiana Fever won the game against the Atlanta Dream 81-76.

However, Griner was accused of manhandling Clark during the game, which left the fans divided. Matters escalated when a video emerged from the match, where Griner allegedly lashed out at Clark, calling her names.

Gaines reacted to the situation by sharing the video on X. The 24-year-old social activist wrote:

"Brittney Griner appeared to call Caitlin Clark “trash” and a “f***ing white girl” after fouling out last night. Just a reminder: this is who we traded for the Russian Merchant of Death. Now imagine if Clark had said the inverse!"

The case Gaines was referring to was Griner's prison stint in Russia. When the clashes between Russia and Ukraine took a turn for the worse, Griner was arrested on charges of possessing cannabis oil and was imprisoned for almost a year. She was later released in a prison exchange deal between the US and Russia in December 2022.

Riley Gaines had previously called out WNBA player Angel Reese for her conduct with Caitlin Clark during an NBA game held a couple of days ago. Though Clark had fouled Reese midway during the match, the Chicago Sky player hurled obscenities at the latter, invoking criticism from many.

Riley Gaines reacts to Caitlin Clark's comments on 'white privilege'

Riley Gaines previously reacted to Caitlin Clark's comments on 'white privilege'. In December 2024, Clark reacted to being nominated as Athlete of the Year by Time magazine.

In a conversation with Time Magazine, Clark remarked:

"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. 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."

However, her comments caused a massive uproar on social media. Gaines responded to the backlash by posting her thoughts on X, writing:

"No one was asking for Caitlin Clark to position herself as a right-wing hero. All she needed to do was remain neutral."

Gaines further clarified that she admired Clark for her personality and sportsmanship. In her words,

"She’s a phenom who inspires countless young girls to play & achieve, so I still have great admiration for her, but she missed the mark on this one."

Riley Gaines has long supported Caitlin Clark. In 2024, Clark won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award for her smashing debut for the Indiana Fever.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar