A new book may change the narrative around one controversial piece of Caitlin Clark’s history.
In 2024, Clark was named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year winner and was delivered the news in a phone call from commissioner Cathy Engelbert, though next year’s winner, Paige Bueckers, was informed of the news to much more fanfare while appearing on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”
The difference in how the two players were celebrated for their accomplishment angered Clark fans, but in Christine Brennan’s new book, “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports,” Clark herself may have been the reason why her celebration was so subdued.
In the book, WNBA spokesperson Ron Howard said that the Fever superstar turned down any big show over her winning the award.
The Fever were in the middle of a playoff series with the Connecticut Sun at the time.
“We offered to come to Indy after the team season had finished and do a press conference and/or have [NBA Entertainment] do a sit down with CC,” Howard texted to Brennan on Sept. 16, 2025, which is in the book. “But both the team and her agent declined the offer … It was difficult to do it while the team was in Connecticut, but we offered to do something in Indianapolis afterwards and we were turned down. Adding to that the fact that we had a chance to do a sit down with her for GMA as well but the opportunities were declined.”
Clark’s reps and the Fever declined to comment in the book.
Fans of Clark have criticized the WNBA in the past over the way they have treated her, ranging from calls on the court to the way she’s marketed.
Clark is, without question, one of the biggest names in the sport and has helped boost the profile of the WNBA and women’s basketball as a whole.
She is finally healthy again entering the 2026 campain, after multiple injuries limited her to 13 games last season.
