Caitlin Clark and the WNBA deserve more respect from LeBron James, Charles Barkley and everyone else

Since when did NBA players start hating competition?

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for reading this morning. We appreciate you.

This Caitlin Clark stuff is getting kind of weird, y’all. Over the last 24 hours, some big luminaries in the NBA have commented on how Clark has been treated in the WNBA.

First, LeBron James chimed in on his Mind the Game podcast with JJ Redick. He called Caitlin Clark the “weirdest thing in the world.” He continued, “Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things is going to happen for the WNBA.”

Charles Barkley decided he wanted to follow up on Inside the NBA. “Y’all should be thanking that girl for getting y’all [expletive] private charters, all the money and visibility she’s bringing to the WNBA. Don’t be petty like dudes,” he said.

READ MORE: Charles Barkley is getting on WNBA fan’s nerves with this.

Look, folks. Clark’s time in the WNBA has been great and we’re just five games in. Already rising ratings have been boosted because of her. And, if we’re being completely honest, she is a huge reason why the league moved so quickly to provide charter flights to its teams.

But, fam. Are these dudes serious? Who on Earth are these haters that Barkley, Bron and everyone else speak of? What players have thrown dirt on Clark’s name?

Maybe they’re circling back on the Diana Taurasi conversation. And, if so, I guess that’s fair. She probably does hate Clark. But, to be fair to DT, she hates everybody! That’s just what she does. She also hasn’t said a peep about Clark since the season started.

That’s the thing — no one has. Everyone respects her enough to let her play her game and figure things out. She’s struggled early, but that’s because the WNBA is just that difficult. It’s not because anyone has an agenda against her.

Let’s be real: Are players a little more motivated to lock her up? Probably. Nobody wants to get cooked by the golden child. But this is sports. Nobody is just going to let anybody score no matter how much Jeff Teague and his friends whine about it. That’s not how this works, family.

Were players supposed to just clear the lane for LeBron back in the day? Today, should LeBron just stand under the rim and wait for Victor Wembanyama to dunk on him every time they play? Nobody demands these courtesies from NBA players when the next big thing comes into the league. Why are we acting like things should be any different on the WNBA side?

Even a broad assertion that simply playing hard against Clark should be perceived as hate is an affront to the game we all love. It’s high-key embarrassing that these NBA players are even opening their mouths to say such a thing.

Nobody playing the game has spoken about Clark’s treatment and none of her teammates have said anything about any nasty treatment she’s received. If anything, they’re the ones who need a bit of defending right now—Aliyah Boston had to get off of Twitter because toxic fans following Clark’s career have harassed her.

In the end, these women are competitors. They’re all just playing basketball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes things can get ugly. The games will be bad. But guess what? That’s just the game. It’s not “hate.”

Let these ladies compete. We all owe them that — both new fans and old. If you can’t do that without mistaking competition for animus, then maybe you shouldn’t be watching.

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The Panthers are on a mission

Every team is hungry to get to the NHL Finals, obviously. But after coming so close last year, it feels like the Panthers are a bit more desperate than everyone else in these playoffs.

Florida completely dominated New York 3-0 on the road in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in a place that’s been really hard to win this postseason.

• This is just New York’s second loss at home this postseason and their third overall in 11 games.
• It’s also the only loss of the postseason when New York has gone scoreless.

This series is a long way from over, obviously. And both these teams are very, very good. But Florida is locked in on one thing right now — that’s winning the cup.

We’ll see how New York responds in Game 2.

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Let me get that DJ Burns workout

I don’t know what kind of diet and workout DJ Burns has been on, but somebody let me in on the secret. Because, MAN, this dude looks good.

Burns says he’s lost 45 pounds since the NCAA tournament in preparation for the NBA Draft. Bryan Kalbrosky has more here.

“While there was some speculation that he would potentially try to play football due to his build, he definitively stated that his goal was to pursue a career in basketball.

Now with a little more than a month to go before he could potentially hear his name called in the NBA Draft, the prospect has put in tremendous work for a body transformation that could prepare him for the next level.”

Look at this guy, man. He’s locked in.

Good on you, DJ. Hope he gets a shot.

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Quick hits: Be careful what you wish for, AE … Fans trolling Drake is always great

— Anthony Edwards said he wanted Kyrie Irving in the Western Conference Finals. He got him. Robert Zeglinski has more.

— Drake showed up at the WNBA Toronto expansion announcement and, of course, fans made fun of him. Here’s Blake Schuster with more.

— Nika Muhl’s clever shirt is the absolute best. Meg Hall has more here.

— I still can’t believe this Karl-Anthony Towns basket was waved off. Here’s Cory Woodroof with more.

— Charles Barkley roasting Kenny Smith for a playoff take is hilarious.

— Robert has the scoop on the stars with the most to gain (and lose) from the All-NBA selections

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you. Catch us back here tomorrow for more. Peace.

-Sykes