"Angel Reese will call you a racist": Fans buzz after Jason Whitlock boldly declares Caitlin Clark as America's biggest sports star

Caitlin Clark set attendance and viewership numbers even while she played for the Iowa Hawkeyes in women’s college basketball. Clark’s popularity has only grown since she entered the WNBA in 2024. She became the biggest draw in her first in the pros.

While Clark is popular, many continue to wonder just how big her stardom is. On Thursday, Jason Whitlock boldly declared on X that “Clark is the biggest star in American sports.” Whitlock added that no “qualifier” is needed to make such a claim.

Fans promptly reacted to Whitlock’s post:

“Oh no Angel Reese is gonna be so mad when she sees this. Then she will call you a racist. That’s what her playbook tells her to do.”

“Caitlin Clark outdraws the NBA regular with ease. She is the biggest American Sports star. Sure more people watch Football, but I dare someone to run Patrick Mahomes jersey sales numbers. Not one year would he have sold what Caitlin Clark did this year," one fan said.

“Yep. I had NEVER watched the WNBA before she came along,” another fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans.

“That’s quite a stretch," one fan said.

“Oh, horse hockey. NOBODY watches the WNBA. For the WNBA she is a star but not near the level of the NBA, NFL, MLB stars!” another fan said.

"My wife can name more than a dozen sports stars - Caitlin ain't one of them. You are so close to this that you can't see she isn't as well known as you think," a fan said.

Some, like the analyst Bill Simmons, aren't giving her that title yet. Others don’t see her hitting the level of fame that Jason Whitlock boldly declared she would reach. Many put LeBron James, Steph Curry, Patrick Mahomes, Christian Pulisic and a few others a tier above the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year winner.

Regardless of where she stands on the totem pole of sports stars, Clark has already made a name for herself in her first year in the WNBA.

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Bill Simmons declares Caitlin Clark is “bigger than any star under 30 in the NBA”

Some of the biggest stars under 30 in the NBA include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards and three-time MVP Luka Dončić. Although they are incredibly popular, Bill Simmons declares Caitlin Clark has already eclipsed them.

“The Ringer” founder discussed modern NBA stardom in his podcast with Chuck Klosterman and said:

“Caitlin Clark is bigger than any star under 30 in the NBA.”

Simmons concedes LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant hold more sway than the Indiana Fever rookie.