Jemele Hill has a problem with “obnoxious” Caitlin Clark fans during the 2026 WNBA Playoffs.
Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, is out of the postseason. The Indiana Fever fell to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round. Clark’s absence from the remainder of the WNBA Playoffs is obviously a blow to the league’s TV ratings. It’s inarguable that Clark is the biggest TV draw in the sport right now.
But that doesn’t mean that she’s the only draw.
The WNBA’s 2026 TV ratings are up 17 percent year over year. TV ratings have remained strong for non-Caitlin Clark playoff games, too.
Hill is getting annoyed by Clark’s fans suggesting that the league is in a bad place without her.
Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images.
Hill posted: “Last year’s WNBA Finals, which did not have Caitlin Clark, was the second-most watched Finals ever.”
She’s responding to critical fans, too.
“You just can’t see what is in front of your face. That’s an actual fact but Clark helped them get there and to the other players credit they kept some people tuned in. I hope it continues,” one fan wrote.
Hill responded: “No one is saying she didn’t, and she deserves credit for taking the league to another level. But it feels like some people root against the league when she’s not playing. That’s obnoxious, and shows they don’t care about women’s basketball, just Caitlin Clark.”
Hill doesn’t want the ‘dominant’ WNBA narrative to be Caitlin Clark right now
Hill doesn’t want Caitlin Clark to be dominating the conversation, given that she’s no longer in the playoffs.
“I know how fandom works and that’s cool. But at this point in the season, with four teams left, the dominant narrative shouldn’t be how many people aren’t going to watch because Caitlin Clark isn’t playing. Yes, we know the ratings would be better. It’s not exactly rocket science. But the ratings are infinitely better than what they would have been prior to her even being in the league. That’s a win by any measure,” she wrote.
It’s a fair point, but Hill, and everyone else surrounding the WNBA, continue to talk about Clark and her fans at a high rate.
