Charles Barkley says 'petty jealous' WNBA players 'f---ed up' Caitlin Clark excitement

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are on a 6-1 run, with Clark seemingly running away with the Rookie of the Year award. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright ask if the WNBA is doing enough to support Clark's rising stardom.

Caitlin Clark's rookie season has involved a booklet of broken records, a dramatic franchise turnaround for the Indiana Fever and hordes of new fans to the WNBA. 

However, it has also been shrouded in controversial fouls, feuds with rival players and widespread criticism from former and current players of unwarranted favoritism toward Clark.

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley spoke out against the players who have undermined the positive attention Clark's rookie season has brought to the WNBA this year during an appearance on the "Bill Simmons Podcast" on Wednesday. 

"These ladies, and I'm a WNBA fan, they could not have f---ed this Caitlin Clark thing up even worse if they tried," Barkley said on the show.

Clark led the Fever to its first playoff berth in eight seasons on Tuesday, breaking the WNBA's longest postseason drought. She is averaging 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and a league-leading 8.4 assists, breaking multiple league records in each of her last three games. 

"This girl is incredible," Barkley said of Clark. "The number of attention, eyeballs, she's brought to college and the pros, and for these women to have this petty jealousness. You're saying to yourself, 'Damn, what is going on here?'"

Clark has been on the receiving end of several questionable fouls this year, and the most notable came against the Chicago Sky. 

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Diamond DeShields, #0 of the Chicago Sky, runs into and is charged with a flagrant foul against Caitlin Clark, #22 of the