During a WNBA press conference on Wednesday, a male reporter made a “cringe” comment to Caitlin Clark.
Clark, who was recently drafted by Indiana Fever, took a seat at the press conference and prepared to answer many burning questions. However, she appeared caught off-guard by a certain journalist’s “inappropriate” remark.
The interaction went a little something like this:
First, Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel introduced himself to Clark, making a heart-hand gesture. This gesture is something Clark often does to her family in the crowd while she’s on the court.
“Real quick,” Doyel said while gesturing a heart to her. “Let me do this.”
Clark awkwardly smiled back at Doyel, seeming uncomfortable as she asked, “You like that?”
“I like that you’re here,” Doyel responded. “I like that you’re here.”
“Yeah,” the 22-year-old athlete said with what seemed to be a nervous laugh. “I do that at my family after every game. So, it’s pretty cool.”
“Okay, well, let’s start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine,” Doyel replied before jumping into his question.
A reporter sends a “🫶” at Caitlin Clark
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 17, 2024
Caitlin Clark: "I do that at my family after every game.”
Reporter: "Start doing it to me and we'll get along just fine."
(@ClutchPoints)
pic.twitter.com/dDGuDdy88F
Reporter Makes Cringe Comment to Caitlin Clark at WNBA Press Conference
The interaction between Clark and Doyel did not sit well with many fans and conference attendees. The room became a bit quiet, with some nervous laughter highlighting the awkward encounter. Clark carried on like a professional, and the conference continued without issue.
Still, the comment was so off-putting that Doyel himself took to X to call out his own poor behavior.
“Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature,” he wrote. “My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize. Please know my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I will do better.”
But fans and other professionals were not so forgiving of him.
“As a journalist, you are supposed to be asking questions,” one person replied. “You are literally speaking to a decorated athlete and a generational talent, and this is degrading to Caitlyn as a woman and as an athlete.”
Another person wrote, “You can say it had good intentions…but you are a reporter. You are a journalist. You are a professional. You KNOW that you shouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t clumsy. It wasn’t awkward. It was wrong.”