Paige Spiranac is making it clear where she stands with Caitlin Clark.
There’s been a long, ongoing debate about the WNBA star’s place in the league. Clark, who went No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, is clearly the league’s most popular player. But is she the face of the league? Is she worthy of special treatment? Is she being treated unfairly by opponents and referees?
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Former ESPN host Jemele Hill disagrees.
“I appreciate the nuance in your opinion, but there is a difference between popularity, appeal and being the face of the league. Caitlin Clark is the most popular player in the WNBA, and the biggest draw. She’s not the face because she’s not creating a new standard for winning (yet). She does not have accomplishments that people want to take (yet). What team is everyone trying to beat? The Aces. What player is everyone trying to match? A’ja Wilson. The standard for winning is A’ja. Michael Jordan became the face of the NBA because he became the standard by which every player is measured. Everyone wanted to stop him. Caitlin isn’t there,” she said on X.
Paige’s outfit.Paige/IG
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, meanwhile, disagrees with Hill.
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“Michael Jordan was the face of the NBA before he won a Championship, but it came with extreme push back from the rest of the league in how they guarded him and treated him. LeBron James was the face of the NBA before he won a Championship, but it came with extreme push back from the rest of the league in how they guarded him and treated him. When players feel like they are being overshadowed by a player they feel doesn’t have the accolades to warrant it, they fight it. They don’t respect it. But there is a difference between being the face of the WNBA and being the best player in the WNBA,” he wrote on X.
Spiranac is taking Clark’s side
Spiranac has made it very clear: She rides with Clark, 100 percent.
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“I would do anything to one day play a round of golf with Caitlin Clark. She’s her,” Spiranac wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A round of golf featuring Clark and Spiranac would draw a lot of eyeballs, that’s for sure.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Jul 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.