Doug Kezirian slams Caitlin Clark fans over All-Star voting outrage, defends WNBA players

Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier were named captains of the 2025 All-Star team on Monday. Fans who accounted for 50% of the vote overwhelmingly chose Clark, who received a record-breaking 1,293,526 votes. Although CC fans showed their support, ex-ESPN host Doug Kezirian torched them over their voting while defending WNBA players.

While ranked first among guards in fan votes, Clark was ranked third by the media and ninth by the WNBA players. The disparity in the votes saw fans lash out at players, with many labelling them "jealous" and "oblivious." Kezirian hit back at the fans for their outrage over the players' and media panel's All-Star voting results.

Alisha Gray was the number one-ranked guard in both media and players' polls, while Sabrina Ionescu came in second on both lists. While the press placed Clark third on the list, the players saw Skylar Diggins in third, followed by Natasha Cloud, Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Mitchell and Brittney Sykes.

"Why is everyone botching this Caitlin Clark "9th-best Guard" topic???" Kezirian questioned on X (formerly Twitter).

The TV and betting veteran discussed this topic further on his show "HARD PASS," explaining how Clark's performances weren't up to par this season.

"I don't think this is about other women not acknowledging her, and won't kiss the ring of Caitlin Clark," he said (From: 8:40 onwards). "This is about who's played best, who's All-Star worthy, and you only get four votes for all the guards."

Kezirian's explanation of the overreaction stems from Clark's lack of games this season. The guard has played nine games and has averaged a shooting figure of 29.5% from the three-point line.

Gilbert Arenas urges WNBA players to embrace Caitlin Clark after they vote her ninth in the All-Star voting

The basketball world has been divided over Caitlin Clark's All-Star votes. Although selected as the captain by overwhelming support from fans, players voted her ninth in the ballot.

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas opened up on this topic during his podcast, as he urged the players to embrace Clark.

"Just enjoy and go on with it ... she eats, y'all eat, this is what you wanted, this is what you needed," he said.

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Despite being voted ninth by the players, Caitlin Clark will lead one of the teams during the All-Star break in Indianapolis.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash