ESPN’s Elle Duncan has expressed frustration over the ongoing controversy surrounding Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the WNBA, urging fans and media to concentrate on the sport itself rather than off-court drama. Following the Indiana Fever’s dominant season opener win against the Chicago Sky, which included a triple-double performance by Clark, discussions instead fixated on a flagrant foul involving Reese, sparking unnecessary tension during the 2025 season.
Elle Duncan Criticizes the Focus on Drama Over Basketball
<pDuncan, appearing on ESPN’s The Right Time with Bomani Jones, voiced her displeasure with the divisive environment that surrounds discussions of Clark and Reese. She noted that the polarized debates prevent meaningful dialogue and distract from the players’ on-court achievements. “We are not getting anywhere at this point. We're just not,” Duncan said. “This is a very disingenuous space right now. Nobody is really here to listen to anybody else's perspective. If LeBron James posts that Caitlin Clark is his favorite player, then he's getting s**t for not protecting Black women. And if you post that Angel Reese is your favorite player, then you're trying to stifle Caitlin Clark's greatness. It's just unreal.” —Elle Duncan, ESPN anchor
Duncan emphasized that Clark’s supporters inadvertently harm her reputation by focusing on off-court controversies instead of her basketball skills. She highlighted the Fever’s strong team potential beyond Clark’s individual star power.
“I’m not out here trying to sell you, ‘Let’s pivot away from Caitlin Clark and talk about…’ I am just saying, Caitlin Clark herself would love for you to focus on the basketball part of it because the Fever this year, guys, are real contenders,”
Duncan explained.
“And I know that as much as she understands she is an otherworldly star, she would love for you to make it more about the basketball and how well Aliyah Boston is doing and how well Kelsey Mitchell is doing, and what a great piece Sophie [Cunningham] is, and how they are actually contending.”
—Elle Duncan, ESPN anchor
The Broader WNBA Discourse and Recent Team Performances
Bomani Jones remarked on how WNBA fans have become extremely active online, which he described as detrimental overall. Duncan responded by expressing her exhaustion with the current discourse surrounding the league. The Fever, after their strong start, have recently lost two of their last three games, including a narrow 90-88 defeat to the reigning champion New York Liberty. Meanwhile, the Chicago Sky have yet to secure a win this season as they prepare to face the Los Angeles Sparks on an upcoming Sunday night.
Looking ahead, the Fever and Sky are scheduled to meet again on Saturday, June 7. Fans hope the conversation will shift away from manufactured conflicts and instead highlight the performances and developments on the court, fostering a more positive and basketball-centered dialogue.