WNBA Team Owner Not Happy Caitlin Clark Got TIME Cover: ‘Why Couldn’t They Have Put the Whole WNBA’ On There?

WNBA co-owner Sheila Johnson complained to CNN Friday that Time magazine featured Caitlin Clark alone on its cover after the outlet named her its 2024 Athlete of the Year.

The outlet announced this week that the 22-year-old rookie point guard for the Indiana Fever was the most prominent person in sports. Clark closed out her college career at Iowa and was selected by Indiana as the first pick in the league’s draft.

She closed out her first professional season as the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year and brought new fans to women’s basketball. Time shared a black and white photo of Clark on social media after naming her Athlete of the Year.

During an interview with CNN’s Amanda Davies, Johnson – who was a co-founder of BET and whose company co-owns the Washington Mystics – explained she was frustrated Clark was featured alone on the cover:

Why couldn’t they have put the whole WNBA on that cover and said, The WNBA is the League of the Year because of all the talent that we have? Because when you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings. And so now you’re starting to hear stories of racism within the WNBA, And I don’t want to hear that. We have got to operate and become stronger as a league and respect everybody that’s playing and their talents.

Time said of selecting Clark as the year’s most prominent sports figure:

The WNBA was already enjoying positive momentum going into the 2024 season, thanks to MVPs like A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, and some of Clark’s fellow rookies, like Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, brought their own followings. But Clark took the league—and the sport—to a new level. Even during a period when investment across women’s sports is surging, team valuations are on the rise, and fan interest and engagement are at all-time highs, her arrival was transformative.

Watch above via CNN.