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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The WNBA is celebrating the league's 30th anniversary, which has featured plenty of stars and superstars throughout its historic journey to the present, but a recent poster commemorating the milestone has outraged fans.
The wall poster features 30 of the league's stars from past and present, including legends Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie, as well as newer stars Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Kelsey Plum, and A'ja Wilson. There are also players representing the newer franchises in Portland and Golden State.
However, in a surprising choice which is a major snub, the poster features the Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham pictured beside Reese, rather than Caitlin Clark.
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"Bring a piece of WNBA history home. Celebrate 30 years of the W with this commemorative anniversary poster. WinCraft's poster is available now!" a message reads on the WNBA's X post with a link to the poster, which costs $29.99 at the WNBA Shop.
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As one might imagine, Clark's absence from that commemorative poster drew serious backlash from fans who reacted to the snub in the X post comments.
"You guys are bums leaving off @CaitlinClark22. She’s the only reason anyone has watched the WNBA,"a commenter said.
"The Caitlin Clark and Diana Taurasi omissions are unforgivable. There’s no serious basketball explanation for it," another commenter said.
"No Caitlin Clark? I've never seen a league so despise its own best and most popular player. Truly bizarre," someone wrote in the X replies.
Undoubtedly, this is a serious mistake on whoever put the poster together, because they'd have to realize how many more posters they'd sell with Clark's image on the front. Since her arrival several seasons ago, her immense popularity significantly boosted the league's viewership and merchandise sales.
Along with that, one would think the league or poster creator could have added a few more legends to the poster, such as either of the former Houston Comets: Cynthia Cooper or Sheryl Swoopes.
Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore are several other major WNBA stars who don't appear on the poster, which seems to be an attempt to mix a few former WNBA stars with the current players.
Many players helped tell the league's story over its 30 years, but the lack of Clark's image on the front is baffling, unless it's due to a licensing or brand situation that prevented the league or poster creator from adding her.
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