Former President Barack Obama visited WNBA All-Star Weekend practices in Chicago on Friday.
Obama met Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark and complimented her on the way she navigates all the hate she receives in the league.
“How are you? Really nice to meet you,” Obama told Clark. “You’re great. You’re fantastic. Don’t let all this nonsense get you down.”
Obama called Clark “a hooper” and he told her not to let anyone steal her joy.
“You’re a hooper”
Caitlin Clark’s full conversation with Barrack Obama pic.twitter.com/TVitfnEYS3
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) July 24, 2026
Obama posed with Clark and her teammates Kelsie Mitchell (2nd from right) and Aliyah Boston (right).
Obama complimenting Caitlin on how she handles herself and all this drama. Hopefully something both sides of the aisle can agree on 🙂 pic.twitter.com/bXdJnwaJ71
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) July 24, 2026
Afterwards, Clark told reporters what Obama said to her on Friday.
“Then he walked through the door, which was super cool and awesome,” Clark said. “And honestly, [him] just complimenting me for the way I handle everything, obviously with everything going on, and he’s somebody that has been in front of the media quite a bit. He remind[ed] me, he’s like, ‘When I got famous in my 40s, I didn’t have to do it in my 20s.'”
She continued: “People don’t always realize I’m 24 years old, and I’m trying to navigate a lot of different things, while trying to play basketball at the same time. So it was cool to hear that from him. And I think, honestly, it was probably a good reminder for all of us. So treating people with respect, treating people with grace, and [that’s] definitely a moment I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.”
The Fever picked Clark No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She came into the league amid unprecedented hype that helped grow the league as the fastest-growing brand in all of sports.
Clark’s influence helped the WNBA score a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) worth over $1 billion in March 2026.
For the first time in the WNBA’s 30-year history, player salaries rose from an average of $85,000 in 2025 to over $1 million in 2026.
But despite all the success and recognition Clark has brought to the WNBA, she is still under attack by players, refs, and even sports reporters.
A USA Today columnist accused Clark of triggering “White nationalist” fans to commit violence against Black players.
DEFINITELY was not expecting this paragraph in the story based on this tweet about Caitlin Clark and foul/non-foul calls. https://t.co/O4JiMH5NdR pic.twitter.com/dYax9fHYXg
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) July 23, 2026