Chiney Ogwumike is one of ESPN's rising stars. She's a staple on "NBA Today" and "NBA Countdown" while also working on WNBA coverage.
There's may not be a more credible voice in sports media to talk about the WNBA than Ogwumike considering she was drafted with the first overall pick in 2014. She's not playing this season and focusing on her budding media career, but the two-time All-Star has built a ton of experience in the women's basketball game.
She's also well-connected, especially because her sister, Nneka, is also still playing and is one of the league's best players.
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On Tuesday, June 4, Ogwumike gave her thoughts on the issue that the entire sports world is obsessed with: the treatment (or mistreatment) of Caitlin Clark by WNBA players. The issue has exploded over the last few days after the Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter hip-checked Clark during the Fever's win on Saturday.
"When you are a number one pick, which I was 10 years ago ... you do have a target on your back," Ogwumike said. "You came into the league as a top dog in college, and now professional players whom you're going up against want to show you why they are on top ... This path is not for the weak ... but it is the most rewarded path."
She then went on to explain to compare Clark to some other top overall picks in the WNBA such as Candace Parker who also received the same type of treatment when she entered the league. Ogwumike also said that one of the best things about Clark is that like Diana Taurasi, she also talks and has the game to back it up.
But she added that she's heard from other players that Clark is speaking up — and that initiating that talk does open the door to other player's antics.
"She is holding her own — and guess what, she talks about it," Ogwumike said. "I've heard from multiple players some of the things that have been said on the court, because I still in some way am part of the league. And when you initiate that type of talk, it opens the door for some things you cannot except."
Related: Chiney Ogwumike checks Charles Barkley on comments about treatment of Caitlin Clark
Ogwumike acknowledged that Carter — who is her former teammate — did an act that "no one condones," but she also believed that these are things that happen in the league.
Stephen A. Smith responded to Ogwumike — along with Monica McNutt and Shannon Sharpe — by agreeing that on it's own, the act shouldn't be treated as a big story. But he believes that people need to accept that these acts become stories because it's done to Clark, who is creating this massive buzz for the WNBA.
"It's almost like there's this resistance to acknowledging Caitlin Clark and the impact that she has had and is having," Smith said.
Smith referred to Clark as a "golden goose" for the WNBA and said he just believes the players should at least acknowledge that.
"We're talking about [this story] because it's Caitlin Clark," Smith said. "So if we know that, then we're recognizing the cache that Caitlin Clark brings and all I'm saying is: ride that wave."
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Ogwumike nodded seemingly in agreement through most of Smith's monologue, but added some additional thoughts in the context of women and the WNBA players.
"The idea that women have to be mindful of how they compete and also that the WNBA is a monolith is kind of a dangerous thought because the WNBA is an melting pot of women who compete differently," Ogwumike said. "I do think when you have an incident that happens with Caitlin Clark, that becomes magnified. I played with Chennedy Carter for the Los Angeles Sparks and the way she competed with Caitlin is the way she has competed against everyone she has gone up against ... We are so caught up dissecting the growth of the women's game that we are missing out on the goodies. I keep telling people: Why can't all growth, all ways that women compete be good for the game?"
Ogwumike finished by saying that there is a real acknowledgement among the women's players that Clark has brought so much good to the game, even saying that she is responsible for the "lion's share" of what's happened. But she also believes the media needs to do a better job of showing that this isn't necessarily a war between Clark and the other players rooted in jealousy.
"That notion that Caitlin is constantly acknowledged — it's true," Ogwumike said. "She has brought some much good and growth and we want to protect that, but not at the expense of people competing. And I think the people that compete sometimes get erased because of moments like this ... The sentiment of growth in acknowledging Caitlin's impact are not amplified by the media. It's the outliers — the controversial one percent — that is amplified over and over again. And I think that's where we have to do better."
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