Sports journalist Linda Cohn went viral for a questionable take about why she believed Las Vegas Aces superstar forward A'ja Wilson withdrew from Team USA's roster a few days before the FIBA World Cup.
"So is there any part of A'ja that didn't want to spend the next couple of weeks watching the World Cup become the Caitlin Clark Show ?" Cohn asked. "Because, let's face it: Caitlin walks into a building, and the attention follows her... Could A'ja simply not want to deal with that? Could there be some insecurity, dare I say?
"Could she be thinking, 'I'm the four-time MVP. I'm the best player in the world. Why does everything have to be about Caitlin Clark?'" Cohn continued. She did add that it might not have anything to do with Clark, but then reiterated that Wilson's late injury pullout is worthy of speculation, given Clark's presence on Team USA.
A clip of Cohn's comments was published on X Thursday and has amassed over a million views, most of which are people calling her out for unsupported speculation while on camera.
Cohn is within her rights to believe whatever she wants about why Wilson withdrew from Team USA. And there is evidence to suggest that Wilson isn't Clark's biggest fan and might feel a certain way about the popularity Clark receives within the women's basketball community.
But Cohn, who is an accomplished journalist, throwing this theory out without any backing is presumptive in a way that undercuts what journalism and truth-seeking should be about.
It also takes attention away from the great basketball Clark and Team USA played against China on Friday morning, and is trying to drive a wedge between two of the sport's best players without having any proof to support her query regarding Wilson's motivation for bowing out, which was cited as health related. Wilson did appear on the Aces' injury report with a back issue prior to their most recent WNBA contests.
Cohn is also incorrect in suggesting that the attention that Clark receives should be seen as an indictment of Wilson. After all, a huge byproduct of the added eyeballs Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers have brought to the WNBA in recent years is that it exposes these fans to the sport's other elite players, such as Wilson.
This is especially true on an international level, and it was a reason why women's basketball fans lamented Clark not being selected to the Team USA roster for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The fact that Cohn is trying to turn that argument upside down two years later misses the mark and deserves the criticism her theory is getting.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/womens-fastbreak as Linda Cohn Misses the Mark With Caitlin Clark-A'ja Wilson 'Insecurity' Take .
