Caitlin Clark fans criticize WNBA after Paige Bueckers receives in-person Rookie of the Year presentation
Supporters say differences between the 2024 and 2025 award announcements — a phone call for Clark, an on-stage presentation for Bueckers — show uneven treatment
Fans of WNBA star Caitlin Clark expressed frustration this week after Paige Bueckers received an in-person presentation for the league's Rookie of the Year award while Clark's 2024 announcement came via a team phone call, many supporters said.
Clark was informed of her 2024 Rookie of the Year honor during an Indiana Fever practice when WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called and the announcement was taken on speaker. By contrast, Engelbert appeared in person to present the 2025 Rookie of the Year trophy to Bueckers at the end of a viral “Spirit Tunnel” segment during Bueckers’ appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, in which Hudson’s staff escort and serenade guests to the stage with individualized lyrics.
The contrasting presentations prompted criticism on social media from Clark supporters who called the treatment disrespectful. "This is how u announce rookie of the year Caitlin Clark got her roy announcement on a phone call last season. Has a league ever treated their biggest star worse than Caitlin Clark got treated?" one fan wrote. Another said, "I don’t care if they were in the playoffs or not…nasty business how they handled this last year." A third posted, "Cathy didn't even FaceTime Caitlin last year.. just a team call on speaker wow." Several users also pointed to differences in merchandise and promotional materials tied to the award winners.
Other observers noted scheduling as a possible explanation. The Indiana Fever were in the postseason when Clark won the award in 2024, while the Dallas Wings, Bueckers’ team this year, did not make the 2025 playoffs, which some fans said gave Engelbert more flexibility to appear in person without creating a distraction for an active playoff team.
Bueckers won the 2025 Rookie of the Year with 65 votes, according to the tallies released by the league; Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron received the two remaining votes. Clark was the runaway choice for the 2024 award, receiving 66 of 67 votes that year. Bueckers is the fourth consecutive No. 1 overall draft pick to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year, following Rhyne Howard in 2022.
Clark’s sophomore season was derailed by injuries that sidelined her for most of the year, and Fever fans have focused on the team’s postseason progress. Tuesday night’s playoff victory over the Atlanta Dream marked Indiana’s first postseason win since 2015 and gave supporters a milestone in a season in which Clark’s availability was limited.
The WNBA did not immediately issue a statement addressing fans’ complaints about the differing presentations. Engelbert’s in-person presentation to Bueckers was part of the televised appearance and drew attention both for the theatrical nature of the show segment and for the contrast with last year’s phone announcement to Clark, which many fans framed as emblematic of the league’s broader treatment of its highest-profile players.