Just one game into the 2026 WNBA season, and the hot takes are already scorching. The Indiana Fever fell to the Dallas Wings in their opener, and Caitlin Clark—despite dropping 20 points and seven assists—missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds. That miss, combined with her attending a Morgan Wallen concert hours later, has ignited a firestorm of criticism. But one radio host took things to a whole new level, and Fever fans are not having it.
Tyrone Johnson, co-host of “The Craig Carton Show,” didn't just question Clark's performance—he called her the Jeremy Lin of the WNBA. “The Caitlin Clark thing is over because she’s not the best player in the WNBA,” Johnson said, via Awful Announcing. “She’s not the best guard in the WNBA. She’s not even the best guard from her college class because that’s Paige Bueckers, who plays for Dallas, who beat them in the season opener. This could be a situation where… we look back on Caitlin Clark, and we’re not gonna look back on her like she’s Michael Jordan. She’s Jeremy Lin. This is just Linsanity.”
That comparison didn't sit well with fans, who took to social media to defend the Fever star. “I’ve seen people work so hard to dismiss a player that's only wanted to play ball,” one fan wrote. “When CC destroys it this season, I’ll be back for the excuses.” Another fan called it “the dumbest take I’ve ever seen.” A third added, “Jeremy Lin of the WNBA is a take you fire off when you haven’t watched a single game but still want to sound loud.” Others pointed to her broader impact: “Nah I see her as the woman who put the WNBA on, her legacy is cemented just from that.”
Clark's rookie season in 2024 was nothing short of historic. She earned Rookie of the Year and first-team All-WNBA honors, set a single-season league record for assists, and posted the second-most three-point field goals in a season. She also finished fourth in MVP voting. But an injury-limited 2025 campaign—just 13 games—has apparently given critics enough ammunition to write her off. ESPN's panel even ranked her as the 10th-best player in the league, a snub that feels premature given her trajectory.
The situation has echoes of other sports controversies where a player's early struggles are magnified beyond reason. For context, the recent Paige Bueckers troll of Caitlin Clark after the opener added fuel to the fire. But fans argue that one game—and a close one at that—doesn't define a career. Clark had the ball in her hands with a chance to tie, and she just missed. It happens to the best.
Even with the criticism, Clark remains one of the most marketable players in the league, ranked third by Boardroom. That's a testament to her star power, which transcends on-court performance. Off-court scrutiny has also followed her, with some questioning her appearance at the Morgan Wallen concert. But for many fans, that's a non-issue. The real story is the rush to judgment.
Clark's back issues have also been a topic of concern, as noted in Rachel DeMita's report on her back problem. But the Fever are only one game into a long season, and Clark has proven she can bounce back. If history is any guide, she'll use this doubt as motivation. The WNBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, and writing off a player of her caliber after a single loss is the definition of a hot take.
As for the Jeremy Lin comparison? Lin had a magical few weeks in New York, but Clark has already accomplished more in her first two seasons than Lin did in his entire career. The outrage from Fever fans is justified—and they're ready to see their star prove the doubters wrong.
