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Riley Gaines responded to Caitlin Clark's 'White privilege' comments and said she should have remained neutral after the latter was named Time magazine's Athlete of The Year 2024. Gaines has been a longtime supporter of the WNBA player and admires her impact on women's sports.
Clark elevated the popularity of women's NCAA basketball before delivering a record-breaking rookie season in the WNBA. The Indiana Fever guard was named the Rookie of The Year earlier before Time picked her as Athlete of The Year on Tuesday morning.
Speaking with the publication in an interview afterward, Clark claimed that while her every achievement was hard-earned, there was some privilege with being a white person in the United States.
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"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. 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," Clark said.
Her comments caused an uproar on social media with the former swimmer Riley Gaines suggesting that the 22-year-old should have remained neutral.
"No one was asking for Caitlin Clark to position herself as a right-wing hero. All she needed to do was remain neutral," she wrote.
However, Gaines also acknowledged Clark's impact on the sport and clarified that still admired her.
"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 added.
Earlier on Tuesday, the All-American honoree denied white people getting any advantages over black people in 2024.
"I’ve yet to hear a sensible answer as to what privileges white people have over black people in the year 2024," she wrote.
Riley Gaines hails Caitlin Clark as the 'GOAT' of the WNBA
Riley Gaines hailed Caitlin Clark as the greatest women's basketball player of all time owing to her undeniable impact on the sport. The Indiana Fever guard has skyrocketed the league's revenues and attendance and was the most-viewed WNBA player in each of the 50 States in 2024.
Lauding the 22-year-old's impact on the sport, Gaines wrote on X:
"There's never been another player, man or woman, to do it like she's done it. GOAT."
Clark led the league in assists and three-pointers, also setting a new single-season assist record and single-game assist record. She earned a spot on the All-WNBA first team and was also named the Rookie of The Year.
