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Charles Barkley: WNBA players have 'petty jealousness' toward Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark

Charles Barkley isn't a fan of how people in the WNBA have handled Caitlin Clark's transition to the professional game.

Barkley appeared on Wednesday's episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast and said there has been a "jealousness" that has surrounded the Clark discourse this season.

"These ladies, and I'm a WNBA fan, they cannot have f----- this Caitlin Clark thing up any worse if they tried," Barkley said. "If you got a bunch of dudes in a room and said, 'Let's f--- up the WNBA,' we couldn't have come up with a massive plan (better than) what these women have done."

Barkley called Clark "incredible" for what she did in college and has done in the WNBA.

"For these women to have this petty jealousness," Barkley said. "You say to yourself, 'Damn, what is going on here?'"

Barkley said he loves that Clark "doesn't say a word" when she is criticized.

"There's been so much negativity," Barkley said. "A lot of it is just petty jealousness. I tell you what was really good that happened to her: not making the Olympic team. Giving her that time off has given her a chance to recharge her batteries. She probably did deserve to make the Olympic team on merit but her getting that time off probably was the best thing to happen to her."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark: Charles Barkley says WNBA's discourse is 'jealousness'