Caitlin Clark’s brother makes his feelings clear on WNBA owner who slammed TIME decision

Caitlin Clark should not have been named TIME magazine’s Athlete of the Year, according to Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson, and she was met by a subtle dig from Clark’s brother in response

Caitlin Clark’s brother seemed to poke fun at Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson after she slammed TIME magazine’s decision to name the Indiana Fever star Athlete of the Year.

Clark was rewarded for her transformative impact on the WNBA in her rookie year, sparking a surge in viewing figures and ticket sales. The 22-year-old arrived in the league as an already-established star after four stellar seasons with Iowa at the collegiate level.

And she has gone from strength to strength in the pros after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick. The point guard was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year after leading the league in assists. She also received First-team All-WNBA honors.

But Johnson believes TIME should not have anointed Clark as the defining athlete of 2024. In an interview with CNN Sport, she claimed that putting Clark on a pedestal over her peers would stoke feelings of “racism” within the WNBA.

Johnson instead argued the league as a whole should have been given the award. “Why couldn’t they have put the WNBA on that cover and say, ‘The WNBA is the league of the year,’ because of all the talent that we have,” she said.

Colin Clark (second from left) hit back at Sheila Johnson ( 
Image:
Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
“When you single out one player, it creates hard feelings, so now you’re starting to hear stories of racism within the WNBA, and I don’t want to hear that.”

Johnson also took umbrage with the term “the Caitlin Clark effect,” which has been used as shorthand for the WNBA’s growing popularity since Clark’s arrival.

“It’s the way media plays out race,” Johnson claimed. “I feel really bad, because I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition they should have.”

Caitlin Clark’s brother, Colin, appeared to fire back at Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson
Clark’s brother, Colin, clearly did not take kindly to the Mystics co-owner’s comments. He took to X where he reposted a message from back in September from Front Office Sports, which said: “A record 20,711 fans were in attendance for Fever-Mystics tonight – the largest crowd in WNBA history.”