Caitlin Clark receives heartfelt shoutout from Travis Kelce's friend for thoughtful gesture: "Thank you for blessing me"

Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest names in the sports world today. There is hardly anyone who wouldn't want their name to be associated with the Indiana Fever star, and one such person is Harry Clark.

On Wednesday, Harry - who has been part of NFL star Travis Kelce's inner circle for years - received a special gift from the WNBA star. She sent him a pair of Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Indiana Fever" PE.

He posted an unpacking video of the shoes on Instagram, accompanied by a heartfelt gratitude message for the basketball sensation.

"Thank you for blessing me [Caitlin Clark]," he wrote in the caption, followed by a series of fire emojis.

Harry Clark thanked Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark for a special gift. [Credit: IG/@_hcthegreat]

Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Indiana Fever" PE is one of Nike's most anticipated shoes this year. Inspired by Indianapolis, the shoe features navy blue across the body, a crimson red tongue and yellow foxing.

It was during her rookie season that Caitlin Clark wore the shoe in a game. Since then, the anticipation has been mounting. According to Sneaker News, the shoe is set to drop on June 30 and will retail for $190.

---

Caitlin Clark-Connecticut Sun skirmish draws sharp reactions

Caitlin Clark had a tough outing against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, but what stood out was a particular incident in the third quarter. First, Jacy Sheldon fouled her when she poked the Indiana Fever star in the eye, and within a second, she fell hard on the floor after a hard push from Connecticut Sun star Marina Mabrey.

The play enraged some big names, including Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who is a big-time Caitlin Clark fan. Portnoy called out the WNBA as a "sick" league on X (formerly Twitter).

"Imagine not kicking Marina Mabrey out after she assaults the face of the league? Just a common tech? Sick league @WNBA." Portnoy said. "Also shouldn’t have been a tech on Caitlin since that girl got in her face after gouging her eyes."

"ON HER GAME: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports" author Christine Brennan also voiced her opinion on the league for not protecting Clark from such hard fouls.

"The WNBA continues to fail to meet the moment. Terrible decision to allow Marina Mabrey to stay in the game," Brennan wrote. "People are watching as never before. And this is what they see?"

Tennis legend Chris Evert, meanwhile, reposted Brennan's post and criticized Clark's peers for harming the league's image.

"When will these ladies realize, accept, and appreciate @CaitlinClark22 is the best thing that ever happened to women's basketball," Evert wrote. "This is a bad look for the sport and what's happened to sportsmanship?"

In the fourth quarter, Caitlin Clark's teammate Sophie Cunningham, Sun's stars Lindsay Allen and Jacy Sheldon, were all ejected after a fight broke out between players. As much as hard fouls do not reflect great on sportsmanship in sports, it's hard to imagine a sport without it, given how competition runs in every player.

Edited by William Paul