Charles Barkley suggested that hostility from some WNBA players toward Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham stems from a combination of jealousy, race, and sexuality.
"Those girls do not like Caitlin Clark or Sophie Cunningham," Barkley stated on "The Michael Smerconish Program," referring to other players in the league. He clarified that his assessment was "without regard for race."
Barkley's comments came as the WNBA faces scrutiny over incidents of hard fouls and social media commentary that have drawn attention away from the game. One such incident involved a Flagrant 2 foul by DiJonai Carrington on Cunningham during a game between the Fever and the Chicago Sky on August 8. Cunningham sustained a bloody mouth from the play, which led to Carrington's ejection.
Following her ejection, Carrington posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on social media, a comment that Barkley believes unnecessarily introduced race into the incident. While Cunningham called the foul "unnecessary" and later accused Carrington of being intentional and seeking attention, she also stated she had "no beef" with Carrington.
Barkley contended that media attention and social media posts, like Carrington's, often escalate such incidents into broader controversies. "When you turn stuff to the internet, all the race hustlers start coming out. We have a ton of race hustlers out there, White and Black," he said.
When discussing the dynamics of rivalries in sports, Barkley recalled the era of NBA stars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He acknowledged that their rivalry had racial undertones but emphasized that the key difference was mutual respect between the players. "There was always respect," Barkley reiterated.
Barkley did not accuse any specific WNBA player of racism but proposed his theory for the animosity toward Clark and Cunningham. "I think it has something to do with sexuality, race, and jealousy. I think it’s all three of them. I don’t know how you break up the percentages," he said.
Barkley expressed concern about the negative publicity surrounding the WNBA, noting that despite league expansion, increased player salaries, and emerging stars, the focus often shifts to off-court issues rather than basketball itself. He disagreed with the notion that there is no such thing as bad publicity, stating, "I don’t think it works like that anymore, Michael. When’s the last time you heard something positive about the WNBA? I can’t even remember."