Ex-ESPN host Cindy Brunson embarrasses herself trying to discredit Caitlin Clark
We previously discussed the all-time low the sports media reached in defending DiJonai Carrington after she clotheslined Sophie Cunningham and then posted "White privilege" from the locker room following her ejection. In doing so, no one embarrassed themselves more than former ESPN broadcaster Cindy Brunson.
Brunson claimed Carrington did not deserve a Flagrant 2. Instead, she argued that Cunningham should have been ejected — not the player who clotheslined her.
Brunson also shared a post claiming white WNBA players benefit from "reverse DEI."
ELLE DUNCAN BLAMES CAITLIN CLARK, HER FANS FOR MEDIA SMEAR CAMPAIGN WHILE IGNORING FACTS
If it appeared Brunson's remarks were driven by an agenda, she later confirmed it. She said she is Team DiJonai "all day every day."
"I’m team @dijonai all day every day and at most that should’ve been a flagrant 1 not an ejection," she posted on Threads.
One player Brunson does not support "all day every day" is Caitlin Clark.
In another bizarre Threads tangent, Brunson attempted to discredit Clark while discussing a game that did not involve the Fever.
On Sunday, Clark scored 37 points on 13-of-24 shooting, including 8-of-12 from three-point range. She also had 10 assists as the Fever defeated the Sky, 113-90.
Brunson wasn't impressed. She quickly argued that Clark’s performance should be discounted because the game was not competitive.
"Miss me with that stat padding 37 points, on the floor up 20 w/ a minute to go BS. The 32 points in just 26 minutes was WAY more impressive from the ⭐ on the playoff team from the lone star state," Brunson posted above a story about Seattle’s game against Dallas, in which Clark did not play.
Apparently, Brunson could not praise Paige Bueckers without taking a shot at Clark.
Brunson later deleted the post. But she did not do so because it was personal, desperate, or demeaning. Instead, she said she removed it because it prompted "racist" and "transphobic" comments her way.
Look familiar?
LET'S HAVE AN HONEST CONVERSATION ABOUT CAITLIN CLARK, RACISM, AND MEDIA COWARDICE
Like so many players in the WNBA, Brunson took an unprompted shot at Clark — again, she didn't even play in the game Brunson was discussing — Clark's fans defended her, and the aggressor cried racism.
They all so badly want to be victims.
Brunson has since continued her crusade against Clark on X.
This week, Clark recorded her fifth career 30-point, 10-assist game. She now has more 30-point, 10-assist games than the rest of WNBA history combined. Every other player in league history has combined for just four.
Yet Brunson was, again, not impressed by Clark's achievement. She dismissed the accomplishment as a "small sample size."
Huh?
Clark has accomplished something more times in fewer than three full seasons than every other player in the WNBA’s 30-year history combined. By definition, that is not a small sample size.
Elsewhere, on Tuesday night, Brunson celebrated Bueckers’ 22 points and 11 assists in a — wait for it — 96-78 Wings victory. Yet there were no complaints about stat-padding due to the margin of victory this time.
Why? According to Brunson, it is "different."
Apparently, it is also different when Angel Reese sets records early in her career, which Brunson might call a "small sample size" if Clark were involved.
"So impressive @Reese10Angel just broke a record that has stood since May of 2003 when Chamique Holdsclaw hauled in 24 rips for her Mystics vs the Shock. Reese finished w/ 26 rebounds, 18 on the defensive glass. So TUFF. #WNBA," Brunson posted this week.
When users pointed out the blowout and the level of competition, the same arguments Brunson used to diminish Clark, she said those qualifications did not matter anymore.
"It doesn’t matter who the competition is, she set not one, but two WNBA records tonight‼️ Plus, Smesko doesn’t use his bench much, esp w/ Bri Jones hurt. ALL of his starters were on the floor to end this game."
Got that? The competition, score and playing time do not matter when it's Reese setting the record.
Further, Reese actually has padded her stats throughout the season. Literally. There are videos of her team deliberately allowing her to inflate her statistics late in games. You can see and read more about that here.
To be clear, Brunson does not appear as bitter or racially motivated as some of Clark and Cunningham’s most vocal detractors. In her videos, she comes across as pleasant. And yet, she has greatly damaged her credibility. Her coverage of Clark and Cunningham is so nonsensical that it looks plainly personal.
Compare how she belittles the two Fever players with how she celebrates the rest of the league. It's obvious. It is pathetic.
It is unfortunate to watch someone who has spent nearly 30 years covering the WNBA damage her credibility because she cannot control her emotions when discussing Clark and Cunningham.
Brunson likely knows the WNBA well. But how can anyone view her commentary as honest moving forward when she has so clearly abandoned honesty in her recent coverage?
They cannot.
For those who claim White Fever fans are the reason the WNBA has become toxic, Brunson’s timeline offers a more honest explanation. She and people like her are fueling the league’s divisiveness. They have clear personal vendettas against Clark and Cunningham, then claim victimhood when others notice it.
Perhaps pandering to a small group of people on WNBA Threads is worth sacrificing credibility with the broader public. We doubt it, though.