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.

Sophie Cunningham praised Caitlin Clark’s cult-like following and impact on women’s basketball, calling her a once-in-a-generation phenomenon.

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.