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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is just a month into her rookie season, but she’s already become a lightning rod for hot takes, some of which have nothing to do with basketball.

While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Clark was asked about her name being “weaponized” in non-sports conversations and narratives, and she said she doesn’t pay attention to any of it.

“It’s not something I can control, so I don’t put too much thought and time into thinking about things like that. And to be honest, I don’t see a lot of it. Like I’ve said, basketball’s my job,” she said. “Everything on the outside, I can’t control that, so I’m not gonna spend time thinking about that. People can talk about what they want to talk about, create conversations about whatever it is. But I think for myself, I’m just here to play basketball.”

#IndianaFever’s Caitlin Clark on her name being weaponized in non-sports topics:

“It’s not something I can control. … And to be honest, I don’t see a lot of it.”

“People can talk about what they want to talk about. … I’m just here to play basketball.”

Qs by @JimTrotter_NFL pic.twitter.com/VhGC7cIgLf

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid)

June 13, 2024

Dijonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun subsequently posted a message on social media:

In a subsequent media session, Clark said that “people should not be using my name” to push agendas, adding that it was “not acceptable.”

Over the past month, Clark has been under a microscope. Frequent debates center around things like her impact on the WNBA and whether or not she deserved to be selected to the Team USA roster for the Paris Olympics. However, other pundits have taken the opportunity to insert themselves into the conversation and create narratives about race and other larger issues that have little to do with Clark herself.

Through it all, Clark is leading the 3-10 Fever with averages of 16.3 points, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She added that she doesn’t feel like the added noise has affected her bond with her team.

“My focus is on my teammates. They’ve been amazing. I don’t think it’s impacted me making relationships on my team,” she said.