The debate over the face of the WNBA has another high-profile voice—and this time, it's not siding with Caitlin Clark.
Former ESPN host Jemele Hill pushed back against former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III after he argued that Caitlin Clark has already become the face of the league. Hill acknowledged Clark's popularity but said that distinction belongs to reigning superstar A'ja Wilson because of what she has accomplished on the court.
"I appreciate the nuance in your opinion, but there is a difference between popularity, appeal and being the face of the league," Hill wrote on X. "Caitlin Clark is the most popular player in the WNBA, and the biggest draw."
For Hill, however, popularity alone isn't enough.
"She's not the face because she's not creating a new standard for winning (yet)," Hill continued. "She does not have accomplishments that people want to take (yet). What team is everyone trying to beat? The Aces. What player is everyone trying to match? A'ja Wilson. The standard for winning is A'ja. Michael Jordan became the face of the NBA because he became the standard by which every player is measured. Everyone wanted to stop him. Caitlin isn't there."
Hill's comments came in response to Griffin, who argued that Clark's unprecedented impact on attendance, television ratings and mainstream visibility has already made her the league's defining figure. Griffin wrote that Clark is "the WNBA's most recognizable player" and argued it's "not disrespectful to the other great players in the WNBA" to acknowledge how dramatically the league's profile has changed since her arrival.
The exchange is the latest chapter in a conversation that has grown far beyond basketball. After Clark's June collision with Alyssa Thomas and the subsequent Flagrant 2 suspension, debates over officiating and player safety spilled into politics when members of Congress urged the WNBA to do more to protect players.
Since then, basketball legends and media personalities—including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dave Portnoy—have publicly sparred over whether Clark should already be considered the league's face.
