Former NBA big man Mychal Thompson defended Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark‘s continued complaints with the referees during games.
Thompson and sports analyst Jason Whitlock discussed the comments of Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke on Sunday. In his column, “Whiny Caitlin Clark’s tired antics needs to end,” Plaschke expressed his frustration with the two-time WNBA All-Star.
In Monday’s episode of “Fearless,” Thompson told Whitlock that he doesn’t agree with Plaschke’s article, which was much talked about on social media after its release.
“That was totally wrong (because) she needs to argue,” Whitlock said (Timestamp: 16:05). “If you watch the games, defenders take a lot of liberties with them. A lot of hands-on, a lot of pushing and shoving and grabbing because she is Caitlin Clark. They’re trying to slow her down.
“So, I think the referees do let a lot more contact go against Caitlin, as opposed to other point guards in the league. So, yes, I agree with her complaining the way she does. … I like it when Caitlin complains.”
Thompson, the father of Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson, also mentioned Fever coach Stephanie White in his argument:
“(Clark) is grabbed and clutched and held on more so than any other player in the league so she should complain. If Stephanie White won’t point it out, she has to point it out herself.”
Thompson played 12 NBA seasons from 1978 until 1991. He played a key bench role during the back-to-back championship run of the “Showtime” LA Lakers in 1987 and 1988.
Mychal Thompson says the Fever’s system doesn’t work for Caitlin Clark
Veteran sports analyst Jason Whitlock argued that the Indiana Fever’s system does not fit Caitlin Clark. In the same “Fearless” episode on Monday, Whitlock asked Mychal Thompson if he had ever seen a team underutilize its superstar. Thompson referenced several sports personalities and NBA legends in his comments.
“Never seen this in any sport,” Thompson said (Timestamp: 3:20). “They’ve taken away Caitlin’s superpowers. When you draft a player like Caitlin, like a Steph Curry, like a Magic (Johnson), an Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, when you have a player of that caliber, of a (Victor Wembanyama), you play to their strengths.
“You build around a franchise player, such as that. And it seems like they brought the franchise player in to make them play the way they want to play, as opposed to adopting to her style and what made her the most popular basketball player in the world when she was at Iowa.”
Concerns had been mounting for Indiana, as it split its first 10 games of the season. Clark scored just 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting in the team’s most recent game, an 83-75 loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday. The former Rookie of the Year is averaging 12.3 points on 25.8% shooting over the last four games.
Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos