The MVP race has heated up after the Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's triple-double against the Portland Fire. She has vaulted in the latest MVP odds, but sports commentator Jason Whitlock still thinks the Fever star has not yet earned the award.

Clark has been on a historic run in the last few games. She has led the Fever to a five-game winning streak, helping them secure the 4th rank in the WNBA after 29 games. But Whitlock still thinks Clark is too "emotional" to deserve the award at this moment.

"I hope Caitlin earns MVP and isn’t handed it for business purposes," he wrote in response to a fan on X on Saturday, Aug. 1. "She’s improved with shot selection this year. But she’s been an emotional train wreck and whiner. She walked off the court in the middle of a game and disappeared for 9 days."

Clark's confrontation with the referees has been among her highlights from this season. The Fever star has admitted that she needs to control her emotions for the betterment of the team.

Whitlock claimed that the Caitlin Clark "cult" often ignores that side of the Fever star. He also called out the fans for projecting a flawless version of Clark.

"You can objectively root for Caitlin without destroying EVERYONE. And you can criticize her immaturity and constant whining. It’s not betrayal. It’s concern that she’s going to blow this amazing opportunity," Whitlock added in the post.

Clark's has received seven technical fouls this season. One more and she will be suspended for a game without pay. For every next two techs, she will get a further one-game suspension.

Clark's absence not only hurts her team, but also her MVP chances, after rightfully climbing the ladder.

Caitlin Clark takes big jump in MVP race after historic stretch

Caitlin Clark has jumped to the second spot in the latest WNBA MVP race. She replaced Paige Bueckers, who is now the 4th-ranked player in the race.

According to the Clark Report on X, in the previous week, Clark (+1300) was behind A'ja Wilson (-475) at the top and Bueckers and Olivia Miles (+1000 each).

However, Clark's 29.4 points, 9.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals average in the last five games have changed the power ranking. Clark is now ranked second with +1000 odds.

After a triple-double against the Portland Fire on July 31, Clark became the fastest player in league history to four triple-doubles. She took only 78 games. Sabrina Ionescu held the previous record (89 games).

In the first quarter of the Fire game, the Fever star became the fastest player to reach 1,500 career points and 650 assists. Clark (78 games) broke Sue Bird's (116 games) record.

Do you think Caitlin Clark can continue her historic stretch to win the MVP award?

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi