ESPN facing backlash over Caitlin Clark decision

Caitlin Clark’s remarkable season took an untoward turn on Wednesday night. This is after the Indiana Fever star suffered an injury in their 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.

Clark tweaked her back in the second quarter after being fouled on a three-point attempt. She tried to play through the injury, but the Fever ultimately ruled her out for the rest of the game.

The two-time All-Star finished with 19 points, eight assists and three triples in just 20 minutes of action.

Despite the recent setback, Clark is in the midst of a strong campaign. She is averaging a career-high 21.2 points on 43.0% shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists. The 24-year-old is also knocking down 2.6 triples per game on a 34.4% clip.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) against the Seattle Storm.

ESPN snubs Caitlin Clark for 2026 ESPY award

As a rookie, Clark took the league by absolute storm. She broke multiple WNBA records in what turned out to be a historic debut campaign. As a result, Clark was named the ESPY’s WNBA Player of the Year for 2025.

On Thursday, ESPN announced the nominees for this year’s awards. Clark was a notable absence on the list of finalists, which included Napheesa Collier, Allisha Gray, Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson.

Napheesa Collier, Allisha Gray, Alyssa Thomas & A’ja Wilson are nominees for ESPYS best WNBA players pic.twitter.com/iXnRKYXx15

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 25, 2026

More than a few angrily called out ESPN for its decision to snub Clark.

“Where’s Caitlin Clark. This is GARBAGE @espn @ESPNWNBA,” a comment on X read.

“Is @espn now anti-Caitlin too?” another asked.

“The ESPYs. The biggest circle jerk in a cavalcade of circle jerks that make up awards season,” a user declared.

“Ridiculous!! Without CC NO ONE would know who they are. I hate this league so much and I am done with there leftist [expletive],” a reaction read.

“Yall fumbling a whole [expletive] bag. I hope cc goes overseas and the W takes a [expletive],” an angry supporter stated.

“Without CC THIS IS 100% A JOKE,” said another.

It is worth noting that the ESPY nomination is heavily influenced by the players’ performances in the previous season. Unfortunately, Clark was limited to just 13 games in 2025 due to multiple injuries.

Moreover, Collier, another finalist, has not played a single minute this season as she continues to rehab her surgically-repaired ankles.

Nevertheless, this has not prevented Clark fans from complaining about the snub, especially since their beloved idol has lost the opportunity to defend her ESPY crown in 2026.

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