ESPN Analyst Faces Major Backlash Over Controversial Caitlin Clark Remark
The Indiana Fever are currently 9-8 heading in Saturday's matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks and in the heat of that, they also won the WNBA Commissioner's Cup against the Minnesota Lynx, which didn't count toward their overall record.
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This season, the Indiana Fever have been without star point guard Caitlin Clark for a total of nine games, including the last four — a stretch during which they've gone 3-1. Their latest win came in dominant fashion on Thursday, defeating the Las Vegas Aces 81-54.
Clark is now set to miss her 10th game — and fifth straight — on Saturday. While the Fever have remained competitive in her absence, it's still clear they're a more dynamic and complete team with Clark on the floor.
However, ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck sparked widespread backlash with her recent comments suggesting the opposite — that Indiana may actually be more dangerous without Clark.
'Look, I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn't play,' Peck said. 'Because she's a ball-dominant guard — the ball is in her hands a lot — so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they have so many weapons… when you've got a point guard like Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald making plays on the perimeter, and a post like Aliyah Boston, I'm going to tell you: Indiana — they are a threat.'
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"Crazy levels of hate for the person who brought WNBA to relevancy," a fan said.
"Peck loves this narrative, she's been waiting to have a reason to discredit CC once again…" another fan posted.
Someone else added, "Such a Carolyn thing to say."
One more fan commented, "Idiotic comments like this are probably why she no longer coaches. She is a hater."
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This season, Caitlin Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game — production that earned her a spot as one of two captains for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, alongside Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier.
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Now set to miss her 10th game of the year, the Fever have gone 5-4 in her absence (including the Commissioner's Cup), the same record they've posted with her on the floor. That stretch with Clark includes a signature win over the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty.
Related: Unfortunate Caitlin Clark News Turns Heads on Friday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
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