"Sue Bird reveals the pivotal moment when the Caitlin Clark jealousy narrative with the Fever started – and the truth behind it will surprise you!" (PO)

The Indiana Fever are thrilled to have Caitlin Clark as a building block for the future. Clark had a phenomenal rookie season that helped propel the WNBA’s popularity in the process. WNBA legend Sue Bird shared her thoughts on the jealousy narrative surrounding Clark on A Touch More.

Sue Bird credits her interview with her co-host Diana Taurasi for starting jealousy and hateful narratives around Caitlin Clark.

“In some ways it started with me and Diana (Taurasi) and our show getting interviewed by Scott Van Pelt and Diana having her response,” Bird said. “Which if you go back and watch it, and I don’t mean to split hairs here, but it is just another moment where things get taken onto social media and they just grow and people spew and it turns into something you can’t even recognize after 24 hours. Scott Van Pelt did ask Diana a question about rookies, now was Diana talking about Caitlin or not, you’d have to ask her.”

The two hosted The Bird & Taurasi Show, an alternative broadcast of the Women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four for ESPN. Taurasi came across as critical of the Clark hype after a Scott Van Pelt interview following an Iowa game.

“Diana has been so complimentary of Caitlin since, which to me speaks to the issue which is at times people have been negative towards some of these rookies,” Bird said. “From a basketball standpoint. They have been critical from a basketball standpoint. Yet those statements have just been blanket statements of how an entire group of people feel. That is what is really, really troubling for me.”

Sue Bird compares hate for Fever’s Caitlin Clark to Dillon Brooks, Draymond Green in NBA

Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena

Bird says that it’s not fair that all WNBA players get credited for being jealous of Clark when the NBA isn’t treated the same way.

“What you see in men’s sports at times, and I’ll use examples like Dillon Brooks or Draymond Green, and it’s not to call them out in any specific way other than they’ve had moments with players,” Bird explained. “Yet when they do something it’s not the entire league that hates the player.”

Ultimately, Sue Bird believes that once the narrative hit social media, it was too late to stop it.

“Once Diana’s comments went viral it led to the Twitter trolls and bots taking over,” Bird concluded. “What started there was this narrative of petty jealous players hating on Caitlin. That’s really what happened, that’s where it started. That we must dislike her, we look at her side-eyed, that we don’t want her to come in the WNBA and be successful, that we’re hating on her. So we’re petty and we’re jealous.”

Hopefully the drama surrounding Caitlin Clark will fade during the offseason and won’t return for the 2025 WNBA season.