Caitlin Clark weighs in on recent WNBA controversies as Barack Obama tells her to block out the ‘nonsense’

Former President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance at the WNBA All-Star practice on Friday and took some time to compliment Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark on how she has handled the spotlight, particularly during a controversy-filled time in the WNBA.

“You are fantastic. Don’t let all this nonsense get you down,” Obama told Clark, a moment that was captured by NBC Chicago. “… Don’t lose that joy. The game is like, the game. And you are a hooper… you are always hooping. And you are on a nice little run right now.”

Not many things make Clark nervous, but she laughed while saying that her hands got “sweaty and clammy” during her conversation with the former president.

“He just complimented me for the way that I handle everything, obviously with everything that’s been going on,” Clark told reporters. “He’s somebody that has been in front of the media quite a bit, and he reminded me, ‘When I got famous in my 40s, I didn’t have to do it in my 20s.’

“Sometimes people don’t always realize I’m 24 years old, and I’m trying to navigate a lot of different things, while trying to play basketball at the same time. So it was cool to hear that from him. And I think, honestly, it was probably a good reminder for all of us, treating people with respect, treating people with grace. Definitely a moment I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.”

Clark, who rose to prominence as a star at Iowa, is now in her third WNBA season. She’ll play in her second All-Star Game this week after missing last season’s in Indiana due to injury. Clark has had a recent stretch of impressive play, including the WNBA’s first 45-point, 10-assist double-double last week. However, Clark has also become the subject of a lot of recent WNBA drama.

Earlier this month, she spoke out against death threats made toward Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas following a no-call in an incident in which Thomas made contact with Clark’s throat. The call was eventually retroactively reviewed and Thomas was given a suspension. Thomas accepted the punishment but said she and other teammates were being harassed and threatened.

Officiating as a whole has been a heated topic in the sport, but protecting Clark is a subject that consistently blows up on social media. Clark, meanwhile, picked up her seventh technical foul of the season this week and is one tech away from an automatic suspension.

Everything she does seems to be analyzed and talked about, even by those who don’t follow the WNBA closely. However, Clark is trying to keep her feet on the ground and not let the noise bother her.

“There’s obviously a lot of people who like to comment on my character and think they know me,” Clark said on Friday. “At the end of the day, they have no idea who I am. I get it is an opinion and everybody is entitled to their own opinions. Whether I was a young girl or 24 (years old) with the spotlight on me, that’s never changed. Everybody has an opinion on everybody. I personally try to keep it moving. I’m going to treat everybody with respect and kindness and love. I think if everybody could do that, we’d be in a little bit better of a spot.”

Clark will not be participating in the 3-point contest on Friday, but she will suit up for the 2026 WNBA All-Star game on Saturday night.