Barack Obama seemed to offer Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark some friendly advice on Friday. The former U.S. President was at the WNBA All-Star preparations in Chicago and linked up with the guard, while asking her to forget the narratives the media spins about her.
Clay Travis later highlighted their exchange on X (formerly Twitter), using it to question the media’s coverage of Clark. The founder of the right-wing media outlet OutKick shared a clip of their meeting while taking shots at “left-wing narratives.”
“President Obama tells Caitlin Clark not to let the media nonsense get her down and that she’s a great player,” Travis captioned the tweet. “Then asks for a picture with her. Left-wing narratives are in shambles here. Good for Obama.”
In the clip, Obama appeared to approach Clark during the All-Star media day and offered her some advice about dealing with the negative coverage, while asking her to focus on sustaining the “joy” that comes from playing basketball.
“Oh hey! Caitlin, how are you? Its really nice to meet you,” Obama said. “You’re great, you’re fantastic. Don’t let all this nonsense get you down. You know I always say one of the things that was luckiest for me was I didn’t get famous till I was like 45.
“So I was an old a*s man. I mean, you’re my daughter’s age; they’ve not had that much immersion in (this) nonsense. So don’t lose that joy. The game’s like the game. And you’re a hooper, and you hoop. And you’re on a nice little run right now.”
Clark has faced heavy scrutiny this season over her emotional reactions during games and reports of some fans targeting opposing players online.
Despite the scrutiny, Obama’s words offered a moment of encouragement ahead of the Fever star’s third WNBA All-Star appearance.
Caitlin Clark reflects on her meeting with Barack Obama during All-Star festivities
Former president Barack Obama engaged in the WNBA All-Star festivities on Friday, meeting with the players and the coaches at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.
During the event, Obama also spent time with Caitlin Clark, with the Indiana Fever star later reflecting on their conversation.
“When he walked through the door, it was just super cool and awesome. Honestly, he complimented me for the way I’m handling everything that’s going on,” Clark said.
“He’s somebody that has been in front of the media quite a bit and he reminded me, ‘When I got famous in my 40s, I didn’t have to do it in my 20s.'”
Obama’s words come as Clark continues to face scrutiny from a section of the media during the 2026 season.
Edited by Arian Kashyap