Caitlin Clark, the reigning face of women’s basketball and a record-breaking WNBA rookie, is not shying away from the political spotlight anymore. Once known for letting her play do the talking, Clark has now doubled down on her previous statements about “white privilege”, explicitly crediting Black women as the foundation of the league she now dominates.
In a recent appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Clark elaborated on remarks she first made last year after being named TIME Magazine’s “Athlete of the Year.” Back then, she broke her apolitical mold to acknowledge the racial dynamics in her rise to stardom.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark said at the time. “This league has kind of been built on [Black players]. The more we can appreciate that… it’s very important.”
This week, she went even further.
In the interview with Letterman, Clark restated her position with conviction: “I definitely have privilege. I’m obviously white.” She spoke not just about her background, but about her understanding of the WNBA’s cultural and historical makeup.
“I know where this league comes from: a lot of Black women that grew up making this league what it is,” Clark told Letterman. “That’s kind of the shoulders that we stand on. So I think that was something I’m very aware of, and something I’m very thankful for.”
She added, “They deserve all the credit, and the more we can give credit to them, the better.”
Clark’s comments come at a time when conversations about race, visibility, and marketability in the WNBA are increasingly front and center. While Clark has brought record-breaking viewership, sold-out arenas, and corporate sponsorships to the league, her rapid ascent has also stirred debate about how race and media attention intersect.
Her acknowledgment of “white privilege” and her insistence on giving credit to Black pioneers of the league could be seen as a strategic effort to engage with that conversation — or simply a candid reflection of the league’s legacy.
Either way, it’s clear that Clark doesn’t just want to be the face of the WNBA — she wants to reshape how that face reflects the past and present of the game.
