WNBA team owner claims Time should have featured ‘whole WNBA’ on cover, not just Caitlin Clark

Johnson, speaking to CNN, complained that Time could "have put the whole WNBA on that cover" because of the amount of talent in the WNBA. She also said that a big reason for what has been dubbed the "Caitlin Clark effect," or that the WNBA has gotten more attention, is because Clark is white.

When asked by the CNN host why she thought so many more people are paying attention to the league with the "Caitlin Clark effect," Johnson answered, "It's just the structure of the way media plays out race. I'm going to be very honest. I feel really bad because I've seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition that they should have."

She added, “When you read Time magazine, where Caitlin Clark was named ‘Athlete of the Year,’ why couldn't they have put the whole WNBA on that cover and said the ‘WNBA is the League of the Year’ because of all the talent that we have?” Johnson complained about the superlative label given to Clark.

She later added, "While Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly talented, putting one individual on such a pedestal can foster resentment in a team sport like basketball. It doesn’t reflect the collective efforts that make the game so special… When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings."

Johnson brought up WNBA player Angel Reese who plays on the Chicago Sky, who has become known as Clark's rival beginning in college, as a player that Johnson claimed should have gotten more recognition.

The Indiana Fever took up Clark for her rookie season, in which she became the first player in nearly two decades to win both Rookie of the Year and earn a slot on the All-WNBA First Team.