Caitlin Clark being ‘kid at heart’ helped shield Fever star from haters

Despite all of the noise that Caitlin Clark has endured in her first WNBA season, Fever teammate Erica Wheeler revealed Thursday that the women’s hoops star never managed to lose herself.

Speaking with reporters this week, Wheeler called Clark, 22, a “kid at heart,” which has allowed the team to continue to have fun on and off the court with one another. 

Clark has been under the microscope since she was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft in April. 

“All we do is have fun with Caitlin Clark who never takes anything seriously,” Wheeler said. “I tell people all the time she’s really a kid at heart. … There’s moments where we need to be serious and we are serious, but a majority of the time, we’re having fun. Because you gotta understand, the outside world was really trying to get inside this building, we just didn’t let it.

“And having fun is a great way to kinda keep that out.” 

While Clark has helped elevate the WNBA to new heights this season, it hasn’t come without criticism and speculation about her relationship with teammates.

Questions around how fellow WNBA players treated her on the court became a constant headline during the 2024 regular season, which concludes Thursday night. 

Even amid a rookie season in which Clark has shattered a number of records, she hasn’t silenced some of her critics. 

Earlier this week, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes seemed to push back on the idea that Clark has dominated the league this season in an appearance on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast. 

“I still don’t think she’s dominating, but she’s a different player than she was in the first half of the season,” Swoopes said.

Swoopes also hinted that the spotlight on Clark could make players not want to play in Indiana.