One of the biggest talking points of the 2024 WNBA season was Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. However, the conversation not only revolved around her talent and records, but also around the increase in racism and online abuse from supposed new fans of Clark. But Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird doesn’t think that this is a new issue in the league.

In a new episode of her podcast “A Touch More,” which she hosts with her partner and soccer star Megan Rapinoe, Bird said why she didn’t think that Clark “brought” racism to the league. “Racism has been impacting the WNBA well before this year,” she said.

“In that way, I do think Caitlin is being used as a pawn. Caitlin didn’t bring racism to the WNBA. This has been happening. And that I think it has been such a shock for all of us, that other people are surprised by this” she added.

Bird continued, “We’ve been trying to tell you. And, once again, for so long as a player, I would almost joke, ‘I would have loved to have shut up and dribble.’ In so many ways, I would have loved to be valued as a basketball player and would have loved to be spoken about just for my play. I think everybody in the league can say that. But nobody ever let us do that.”

To her, the players “understood that in order to push our league forward, we were going to have to combat these things,” and that Black players were “such an important part” of these conversations. “I get sad when I talk about this a little bit [because] we’re still not talking about basketball. We’re still not allowed to be focused on our basketball play,” she said.

Caitlin Clark has denounced racism in the league

As Caitlin Clark has emerged as one of the most prominent sports stars over the past year, there has also been an increase in racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments online from those claiming to “defend” her. However, the Indiana Fever guard has tried to distance herself from all of these narratives on several occasions.

“It’s definitely upsetting,” Clark said on Friday, Sept. 27 in a video shared by James Boyd of the Athletic. “Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats,” she continued.

The Fever rookie stated that many individuals spreading hatred are masquerading as fans to promote a hateful agenda. “Those aren’t fans; they’re trolls, and it’s a real disservice to everyone in our league, the organization, and the WNBA,” she said.