Angel McCoughtry said Thursday that beauty and visibility can help shape success in the WNBA, using Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham as examples during a conversation on Get To The Point. Her remarks moved quickly from player recognition to branding, and then to who gets the most attention on a team.
That is why her comments are being picked over now. McCoughtry, a five-time All-Star with a 21-season WNBA career, framed the issue as more than style or popularity. She said looks can play a part in women’s sports and asked whether the game is really about how good a player is or how visible she is.
McCoughtry said she once went to a conference where “everybody loved Indiana and Caitlin Clark,” but when she asked how many people knew Kelsey Mitchell, none raised a hand. She said Mitchell is the best player on that team, a remark that cut against the way the conversation has often centered on Clark. The point, in her telling, was not that attention is meaningless, but that attention does not always follow the best basketball.
She made the same case with Sophie Cunningham, saying Cunningham is pretty, averages 9 points per game and has an Adidas shoe deal. McCoughtry said Cunningham has visibility because she “did some drama on the court,” while also making clear that she is not the best player anyone has ever seen. When asked whether Clark was pretty, McCoughtry laughed and did not add anything else.
McCoughtry summed up the problem by saying a beautiful player with attitude and a million followers can get on the brand, even if that does not settle who the best player is. Her view was blunt: the league should give more shine to who is good in it. The unanswered question is whether that spotlight will continue to follow visibility first, or whether the basketball itself can pull it back.
