ESPN analysts acknowledge Caitlin Clark has faced extra scrutiny in the WNBA, backing up teammate Sophie Cunningham’s claims and reigniting conversations about how the star has been treated.

Caitlin Clark is without a doubt the most important player on the Indiana Fever roster. The way that the team has been up-and-down amid her multiple injury spells this season is a testament to how much the Fever need their cornerstone superstar on the floor.

The 28-year-old Missouri alum as traded along with Jaelyn Brown to Indiana from the Phoenix Mercury on Jan. 31 in a four-team deal that sent NaLyssa Smith to the Dallas Wings and the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 draft to the Connecticut Sun, who took NC State guard Saniya Rivers.