“Fed Up with the Hate”: NBA Analyst Claims Caitlin Clark Skipped All-Star Game on Purpose to Sabotage Ratings

Jul 19, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Clark guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on before the 2025 WNBA All Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Credits- Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark being ruled out of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend came as a huge blow to fans across the country who were eager to see her play. She was in Indiana but couldn’t suit up due to a re-aggravation of the groin injury she suffered against the Connecticut Sun. NBA analyst Skip Bayless, however, believes Clark had something bigger in mind.

The 2025 WNBA season has not been kind to Clark. The Indiana Fever guard has missed 10 of the season’s 23 games, which is significant, especially considering she had not missed a single game before this campaign began. Clark played in 141 consecutive games spanning her college and WNBA career. So, what is happening now is highly uncharacteristic of her.

When a player suffers an injury, it’s hard to refute that. However, the fact that there is no video evidence of the moment Clark supposedly hurt herself has given Bayless, a man known for stirring the pot, another opportunity to float a theory about why Clark did not participate in the All-Star. He feels it’s because she has had enough of the WNBA.

“I’ve gone back and watched the play on which she, according to the team, pulled her right groin that came with 39 seconds left against Connecticut. The play just looked so routine in my eyes,” Bayless said on The Skip Bayless Show.

“Ultimately, as I record this, the ratings for Saturday night’s All-Star game are not out yet. But I’m pretty certain they won’t be anywhere near last year’s record of 3.44 million. I’m pretty sure without Caitlin Clark, that did not happen,” Bayless proclaimed.

“So, this all made me wonder if maybe Caitlin got so tired of all the ungrateful resentment and all that petty jealousy that she finally said, ‘Okay, let’s see how you do without me.”

Now the question becomes, where is Bayless’ proof that this is the case? The truth is, he doesn’t have a single shred of evidence. This is purely an intuitive hypothesis.

It certainly hurts the WNBA when the leading vote-getter among All-Stars doesn’t play. The NBA experienced something similar this past season when LeBron James sat out the 2025 All-Star Game due to ankle and foot discomfort. These are two superstars who draw massive fan attention.

Of course, if Bayless’s theory were true, Clark would never admit it. Once the viewership statistics for the WNBA All-Star Game are released, Bayless’s claim may gain a bit more weight than it currently holds.