Fans were delighted to see Caitlin Clark closing in on the top spot in ESPN’s WNBA player rankings on Thursday. After landing at No. 3 in July, the Indiana Fever star was named the No. 2 player this month, second only to the reigning MVP A’ja Wilson.
Seeing Clark at the No. 2 spot, fans responded with sarcastic jabs at ESPN, as well as allusions to the controversial player vote that helped determine this year’s All-Star starters.
“Extremely surprising. Caitlin must’ve hacked into the system,” one fan tweeted.
When it comes to Clark and ranking systems, many debates have been ignited among fans and analysts. One pundit who has taken up Clark’s case is retired “SportsCenter” host Linda Cohn, who said in an Aug. 19 appearance on “Yahoo Sports Daily” that CC’s production on offense is sufficient to win her the MVP award.
And then, there’s the player vote in the selection of All-Star starters. Curiously, the Fever star ended up at No. 11, although the fan vote and media vote were enough to propel her to a starting spot.
“They Definitely Deserve It”: Ty Harris Throws Out Idea of Co-MVP Awards for Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell
As far as the MVP conversation goes, it isn’t just A’ja Wilson and Olivia Miles whom Caitlin Clark is up against. There has also been significant buzz surrounding her Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell, who continues to be an explosive force on offense.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Fever guard Ty Harris proposed an idea to recognize both Clark and Mitchell: an unprecedented co-WNBA MVP distinction for her two teammates.
“I think they deserve it, both of them. Nobody wants to be [co-MVP], but hey, I’m gonna throw it out there.”
Thanks to the outstanding seasons that Clark and Mitchell have been having, the Fever have clinched a spot in this year’s playoffs. With five games left on their regular-season schedule, they are still in the running for home-court advantage in the first round.
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