Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon urges Caitlin Clark to ‘shut down the noise’ while A’Ja Wilson praises rookie before hosting the Fever
Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon and center A’ja Wilson sounded off on the noise hovering over Caitlin Clark during her first few games in the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever rookie brought much attention to the league following a historic collegiate career at the University of Iowa. However, not all appear pleased as narratives of favoritism and privilege circulated by the media drew negative attention towards Clark.
The negativity did not sit well with Hammon and Wilson as the reigning champions encouraged Clark and media members to ‘shut down the noise’ before hosting the Fever in Sin City.
‘I think this narrative of ‘everybody hating on Caitlin Clark,’ and even the black and white thing – knock it off,’ Hammon said during a media scrum on Friday. ‘It’s not there. So shut down the noise.’
‘We love Caitlin Clark,’ she emphasized, seemingly annoyed at the assumption of the contrary. ‘I think she’s amazing. I watch every time I possibly could.’
Becky Hammon urged Caitlin Clark and members of the media to ‘shut down the noise’
“Let’s be very clear, we love Caitlin Clark…I think this narrative of everybody hating on her…knock it off it’s not there.”Good stuff here by @LVAces Head Coach @BeckyHammon and @_ajawilson22 on the national conversation surrounding the @WNBA star rookie. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/kAutGYVth4
— Alex Eschelman (@alexeschelman) May 24, 2024
While Clark drew much attention towards the WNBA, her entry was also met with criticism
‘And our league loves her. We’re just doing our job,’ Hammon added about the competition. ‘Whoever’s on the other team is on the other team, and we’ll do us.’
After brushing off the speculations, Hammon stressed how Clark has a lot of weight on her young shoulders as she quickly became the face of women’s basketball.
Following her first WNBA win against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday, Clark admitted that she is staying off social media to keep her focus on the court and her mental health in check during what she described as a ‘whirlwind’ and ‘tough’ transition.
‘She’s a 22-year-old woman with a lot of pressure,’ Hammon said.
‘She’s not perfect,’ she added – echoing Wilson. ‘She’s a rookie in this league – back off.’
After nodding at her coach’s sentiments and appearing just as frustrated over the false narratives, Wilson added that Clark is ‘learning and growing just like everyone else.’
A’ja Wilson expressed her exhaustion over being asked if the rest of the league dislikes Clark
Clark secured a lucrative $28million signature shoe deal with Nike after graduating from Iowa
Clark and the Indiana Fever were also the beneficiaries of the WNBA’s first-ever charter flight
‘People don’t give her a chance. It’s just growth. We tell our rookies every day: ‘This is new. You’re coming into a whole other world and starting over.”
‘Your questions are only annoying because she’s young. She’s a rookie. You’re asking us these questions as if she’s a grown a** woman in this league for years. No, she’s doing her job [and] we’re doing ours. At the end of the day, that’s how we grow. So yeah, I’m just exhausted over the conversation because I know she’s exhausted, I can only imagine.’
Apart from Clark and the Fever going 0-5 this season before getting their first win, much of the reactions sprung from her lucrative Nike shoe deal and Indiana getting the WNBA’s first charter flight.
After defeating the New York Liberty in a packed Barclays Center on Thursday, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese took a jab at her college rival in a now-deleted tweet.
After defeating the New York Liberty, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese took a jab at Clark
The former LSU Tiger has since deleted the tweet from Thursday night
Clark and Reese had a heated rivalry in College while playing for Iowa and LSU, respectively
‘And that’s on getting a WIN in a packed area (arena) not just cause of one player on our charter flight,’ the former LSU Tiger wrote with a kiss emoji.
As for Hammon, she could care less who inspired the changes as long as the W makes strides.
‘So far as the charters and this and that, I don’t care if Kermit the Frog made the change,’ the coach said. ‘We’ve been fighting for this. We’ve been pushing.’
‘I mean, I played in this league in ’99, and we were traveling the same way. Like I said, I don’t really care who’s bringing this or who’s bringing the crowds. What I care [about] is that they’re there, and they see how great women’s basketball is. That’s what I care about, and that’s a mic-drop.’
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