Key Takeaways
- Barack Obama surprised the WNBA All-Stars at practice in Chicago, calling Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark a "fantastic" player and urging her not to let "nonsense" or early fame steal her joy for the game.
- Comparing Clark's age to his daughters Malia and Sasha, Obama told her to stay grounded and remember she's "a hooper," while Clark later said she focuses on fans in the arena rather than negative, often unrealistic social media commentary.
- Clark's comments come amid criticism from former NBA players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Etan Thomas and concern over her on-court behavior after picking up her sixth technical foul this season.
Barack Obama has praised Indiana Fever point guard Cailtin Clark, calling her a "fantastic" basketball player upon their first meeting.
The former U.S. president surprised the WNBA All-Stars at their practice session in Chicago on Friday (July 24), where the women ran drills at the newly opened Obama Presidential Center. As seen in the clip below, Obama noticed Clark, gave her an embrace and shared some words of encouragement.
"You’re great. You’re fantastic," he told Clark. "Don’t let all this nonsense get you down. I always say, one of the things that was luckiest for me was I didn’t get famous 'til I was 45. So I’m an old-ass man."
Obama added that Clark, 24, was a similar age range as his daughters Malia, 28, and Sasha, 25. "They’ve not had that much immersion in nonsense," he continued. "So don’t lose that joy. The game's the game and you're a hooper."
The politician added that Clark is on a "nice little run" before Clark asked for a picture, sharing the moment with her teammates. The athlete later reflected on Obama's guidance for her during a press conference also on Friday, and shared that not all opinions about her on social media are "based in reality."
"I always try to remind myself the best way I can is like when you show up to the arena, like those are the people that truly care about the game and the truly the people that want to support the game," Clark said around the four-minute mark of the video below. "And the young boys and the young girls. Those aren't the people on the internet writing horrible things about people or whatever it is. And there's also a lot of really good people out there."
Clark has recently caught flak from the likes of former NBA players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Etan Thomas, and she reached her sixth technical foul as of July 18, fueling concerns about her on-court behavior.
