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Matt Barnes, 2017 NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, hit out at those playing down Caitlin Clark's impact on women's basketball after the 22-year-old star was voted Time Athlete of the Year on December 11.
Credited for transforming the WNBA and ushering in a new era of attention and popularity, the Indiana Fever ace has taken the league by storm in her debut season and averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per-game on her way to becoming Rookie of the Year.
So it's no shock that if any women's player was nominated for Athlete of the Year, it was her but that's not how the likes of Sheila Johnson, owner of the Washington Mystics, have read it as she claimed the wider rookie class is why the sport is more popular then ever.
Some agreed with the 75-year-old, and some disagreed, and it turns out that Barnes is in the latter camp as he came to the defense of the point guard after she collected the historic accolade.
"She's damned if she does," Barnes told the "All the Smoke" podcast. "And she's damned if she doesn't.
"While the NBA ratings continue to drop over 30% as they try to figure out who's going to fill the shoes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, the WNBA has a golden goose sitting in their league.
"So instead of downplaying the magnitude of who she is and what she's brought, enjoy the ride and take advantage of the ride and do everything you can do to show the fanbase why they should've been watching before Caitlin came along."
Barnes did, however, concede she isn't the sole reason for the boom in popularity as she also highlighted the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson as another peer. He did add, though, that Clark offers a "ton of opportunity" and "more money" than anyone else.
When is the WNBA back?
Caitlin Clark will return to WNBA action on May 17 when she takes on Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Fever will look to kick off their campaign with a win under the stewardship of Stephanie White, who ed the team from the Connecticut Suns.