WNBA players rank Caitlin Clark shockingly low in All-Star voting again

The Caitlin Clark snubs have reached a fever pitch.One year after fellow WNBA players ranked Clark ninth among guards in All-Star voting, she fell to 11th among her peers in balloting released Thursday.The 24-year-old Fever star was still voted in as a starter for the July 25 game at Chicago’s United Center, as she was ranked second among fans and third by the media.The WNBA All-Star Game vote counts fans at 50 percent, while players and media split a 25 percent share of the ballot.Coming off an injury-riddled season, Clark is averaging career highs in points (21.2) and field goal percentage (43) for Indiana in her third pro campaign.Clark will be joined by teammates Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell — both of whom were ranked higher by players in voting — as starters.Clark had the third-best weighted score in voting, trailing Wings star Paige Bueckers — ranked number one by players — and Olivia Miles of the Lynx.The latest snub for Clark comes after a controversial stretch both on and off the court.In late June, fans were shocked when Clark, whose popularity has coincided with the WNBA’s surge, was not featured on the league’s 30th anniversary poster.A day earlier, Clark was hit in the throat by Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas on a play that drew plenty of criticism after officials kept their whistles silent.“This.Tonight was a pivotal moment in Caitlin Clark’s season and career,” former WNBA player Stacey Dales posted to X after the incident.

“It’s time the league takes notes and adjusts.It impacts a franchise.”While Thomas was later suspended and assessed a flagrant 2 for the hit, the play nonetheless fueled more talk about Clark being unfairly targeted.Clark has also faced criticism from media figures, including former NFL player and current analyst Emmanuel Acho, who declared the league would be “better without” Clark.“The WNBA would be better without Caitlin Clark, because she is a bigger distraction than she is an additive,�...