In a dramatic turn of events, WNBA star Chennedy Carter has voiced her intense frustration after being placed at the bottom of the league’s Top 25 Players list.
Carter is not only upset about her ranking but also claims that Caitlin Clark and her fanbase played a significant role in manipulating the results. Carter’s allegations suggest that the league’s rankings were biased in favor of Clark, further fueling the debate around fairness and influence in sports media.
The Ranking Controversy
Each year, the WNBA’s Top 25 Players list garners widespread attention and often sparks debate among fans and analysts alike. This year’s list, however, has become the center of controversy due to Chennedy Carter’s unexpected placement at the very bottom. Known for her dynamic play and promising career, Carter’s low ranking has been a subject of considerable discussion.
Carter’s Outrage
In a series of outspoken comments, Chennedy Carter has expressed her disbelief and anger over the rankings. Carter has publicly accused Caitlin Clark, a prominent and rising star in the league, of having undue influence over the rankings. According to Carter, Clark’s popularity and the fervor of her fanbase led to an unfair ranking process, resulting in what Carter describes as a biased assessment that overlooked her contributions and performance.
“We all know the league favored someone who we all know” Carter said in a recent statement. “It’s clear that that girl and her fans manipulated the rankings to push her up and push me down. It’s disheartening to see how popularity and fan influence can overshadow actual performance.”
Chennedy Carter Destroys ESPN After They Ranked Her Below Caitlin Clark On Controversial WNBA List
Chennedy Carter and Caitlin Clark (Photos via Getty Images)
Chicago Sky rookie Chennedy Carter called out ESPN on social media after they placed her below Caitlin Clark on their top 25 WNBA players list.
On Wednesday, ESPN released its list of the top 25 WNBA players midway through the 2024 season. Caitlin Clark was placed 15th on the list, and Chennedy Carter came in nine spots below her at 24. Here’s what Alexa Philippou wrote in Carter’s entry: “No one knew what to expect when Carter made her return to the WNBA following a one-year hiatus. But she has been nothing short of sensational in Chicago, carving out a starting role after initially coming off the bench, leading the Sky in scoring. With her lightning-quick first step, no one in the league can stop her from getting downhill to her spots.”
Chennedy Carter took issue with ESPN’s ranking of her, to say the least. On her Instagram story, the 25-year-old guard wrote, “this isn’t addind up the hate be so obvious” with a laughing emoji.
Carter is averaging 17.2 points, a career-high 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game over her first 24 contests (averaging 25.1 minutes per game). The 17.2 PPG mark is the second-best of her career thus far (she averaged 17.4 points per game in 2020).
On top of that, Chennedy Carter is shooting a career-high 51.8 percent from the field, a considerable improvement from her previous personal best (47.3 in the aforementioned 2020 season).
As for Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever star is on her way to winning 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year honors. The 22-year-old is averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per contest over her first 26 games.
One of the top storylines in the 2024 WNBA season is the rivalry between the Chicago Sky and Clark. Carter’s teammate, Angel Reese, had a well-documented feud with Clark during college.
Chennedy Carter infamously delivered a shoulder check to Clark in the Fever-Sky game on June 1, which led to cheers from Reese on the sidelines. The Fever went on to win 71-70, and Carter’s foul on Clark was issued to a flagrant. Coming out of the Olympic break, Carter and the Sky return to the court on Thursday evening to host the sixth-seeded Phoenix Mercury.
