Caitlin Clark has responded to Serena Williams’ “white people” joke following an eventful ESPY Awards ceremony.
The former tennis star hosted the event on Thursday night and made several jokes, one of which was about Clark’s white fans.
“Caitlin Clark had an amazing year and is nominated for three awards,” she said. “Caitlin, you are the Larry Bird in that you are an amazing player, you have ties to Indiana and white people are really crazy about you.”
#ESPYS24 host Serena Williams name dropping Caitlin Clark in her intro
“You are the Larry Bird in that you are an amazing player, you have ties to Indiana, and white people are really crazy about you” 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Hz1nmFpfYF
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) July 12, 2024
As expected, not everyone found it funny, with some considering it divisive.
Clark, however, didn’t have any issues with the quip and praised Williams for her hosting job.
“Obviously Serena did a tremendous job hosting,” she told reporters, per Athlon Sports.
Caitlin Clark Wondered Out Loud How Serena Williams Wasn’t The First Woman To Win The Best Record-Breaking Performance Award At The ESPYs
Clark also claimed to be of the view that Williams should have been the first female to win the ESPY for Best Record-Breaking Performance.
“Yea I didn’t know that until my little brother sent it to me this morning. I think it’s pretty cool,” she added. “It probably shouldn’t have been the first woman to win that award, in my eyes. I grew up supporting so many different female athletes who I idolized and I loved. The amount of records I’ve seen broken, like how did Serena Williams never win that award? It’s crazy.”
CC on being the 1st woman to win the Best Record Breaking Performance ESPY: “Yea I didn’t know that until my little brother sent it to me this morning…. It probably shouldn’t have been the first woman to win that award… how did Serena Williams never win that award?”
Full clip: pic.twitter.com/v11LfHKciK
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) July 12, 2024
Clark won said accolade on the night, the first female ever to do so, as well as the Best Women’s College Athlete Award. She was also nominated for the Best Women’s Athlete Award, but that one went to Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson.