Former ESPN sportscaster Linda Cohn made headlines this week by suggesting that A’ja Wilson’s decision to sit out the FIBA Women’s World Cup might be influenced by insecurity over Caitlin Clark’s growing prominence. Wilson had pulled out of Team USA’s roster for the tournament, citing undisclosed health issues. Her withdrawal left a void in the frontcourt and gave younger players like Clark more responsibility on the court.
Cohn brought up the situation during her show, questioning whether the team would miss Wilson and if she regretted not being there to support Clark, according to Sportskeeda. She also floated the idea that Wilson might have felt overshadowed by Clark’s rising star, asking if there was any part of A’ja that didn’t want to watch the World Cup become a showcase for the Fever guard. Cohn added that it could be a case of insecurity, suggesting Wilson might have thought, ‘I am the four-time MVP, I am the best player in the world.’
Still, she acknowledged that Wilson’s health concerns were a valid reason for her absence. Her comments sparked backlash from fans and former teammates alike. Dawn Staley responded to the controversy with a two-word message, which led many fans on X to criticize Cohn’s theory.
Some users mocked Cohn, calling her overactive and suggesting she was obsessed with Clark. Another user pointed out that both Clark and Wilson are top-tier players and that pitting them against each other is unnecessary. Despite the debate, Caitlin Clark stepped up in her World Cup debut, scoring 14 points and dishing out 11 assists in Team USA’s win over China.
Clark set a new record for most assists by a USA player in a Women’s World Cup debut and became the first to record double-digit assists without a turnover. Meanwhile, Etan Thomas, a former teammate of Michael Jordan, took issue with Cohn’s take and mocked her comments on X. Thomas said that the way media discusses Caitlin Clark will be studied for generations, according to a report from Sportskeeda.
He also questioned whether Wilson’s decision was rooted in jealousy over Clark’s rising fame. Another commentator, Jon Root, supported Cohn’s idea and claimed that A’ja Wilson had a history of feeling jealous of Clark. Root cited past actions from Wilson, such as working with Nike to release sneaker lines before Clark’s debut.
He also mentioned how Wilson pushed the idea of white privilege in a way that could be seen as competitive. Root encouraged Cohn to keep questioning such decisions, saying her point was valid. Team USA is in Group D for the tournament, facing China, Italy, and Czechia.
They beat China 94-61 in their opening game and are set to play Italy next. In the match against China, Caitlin Clark tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 points, ftw.usatoday.com reported. She also contributed 11 assists and played just over 25 minutes.
Clark’s performance stood out even more when compared to the towering presence of China’s Zhang, who is nearly seven feet tall. Despite Zhang’s height, Team USA managed a convincing win over China in their opening game.
IMAGE: Photo by JD Scott. Photo: MGoBlog / Wikimedia, taken 2022-02-06, CC BY-SA 2.0