ESPN legend fumes over Caitlin Clark’s All-Star ranking as WNBA voting emerges

ESPN legend Dick Vitale was not pleased with Caitlin Clark’s ninth-place ranking in the WNBA All-Star Game player rank.

Clark, along with Napheesa Collier, was named a captain of the All-Star team due to being the top two vote-getters this season. This could potentially put Clark in a tricky position with her fellow All-Stars as she decides which players to pick for her team in Indianapolis.

Given Clark’s skyrocketing popularity, it’s logical for her to be among the top in terms of fan engagement. However, it was Clark’s specific placement among the player ranks that irked Vitale. “Absolutely PURE JEALOUSY that ⁦@WNBA players voted Caitlin Clark the 9 th best guard . Some day they will realize what she Has done for ALL of the players in the WNBA . Charted planes – increase in salaries-sold out crowds – improved TV Ratings,” he posted on X

Fans tried to justify Clark’s ranking among other guards in the league by pointing to her performance this season. One fan commented: “She’s played 9 out of 16 games and the last 3 games were bad performances. So 6 of 16 good games. Relax.”

Similarly, fans suggested that race may have influenced why she was rated so low compared to other stars. Notably, Paige Bueckers and Sabrina Ionescu were ranked fourth and second, respectively, in the player ranks.

The selection process for WNBA starters involved fan votes making up 50 percent of the decision, while current players and media members each had a 25 percent share in the vote.

Each player received a ranking by position based on the combined weighted rank from these three groups.

Starters for the showcase game include Clark, Bueckers, Ionescu, Allisha Gray, Collier, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Aliyah Boston, Nneke Ogwumike, and Satou Sabally, reflecting a mix of four guards and six frontcourt players.

Angel Reese, despite her remarkable performance recently and her Eastern Conference Player of the Week title during Week 6, surprisingly didn’t make the cut as a starter.

Her impressive stats over the period, including a dominant win against the Los Angeles Sparks, featured averages of 19.7 points, 17.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

Before Reese’s outstanding match against the Sparks, Lynne Roberts of Los Angeles commended her play: “Angel Reese is unbelievable on the rebounds, and you can talk about it and you can watch it and you can drill it,” Roberts claimed prior to the contest.

“There’s no way to duplicate it to prepare. She’s just elite, and, you know, her motor is so high, and I have a lot of respect for her as a competitor.

“You know, that’s just desire. She knows how to do it, and she’s super physical, and so what’s the game plan? Try not to let her get as many [rebounds] as she did last time. You have to meet her early. You have to make the first hit. I think that’s the big thing. You know, you can’t just turn and feel like, ‘Oh, I have position, so therefore I can get it,’ because she’ll beat you to i