"Caitlin Clark vs Geno Auriemma for an ESPY" - WNBA fans stunned as Fever star & UConn coach go head-to-head in same award race

WNBA fans reacted to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma being nominated in the 2025 ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards.

On Thursday, ESPN announced the nominations for each category. Clark and Auriemma joined NHL's Alexander Ovechkin and NBA's Kevin Durant as nominees for the Best Record-Breaking Performance.

Clark got the nod as the WNBA's single-game assists leader and single-season assists leader. On the other hand, Auriemma was selected for being the NCAA's all-time leader in victories. Clark is also nominated for the Best WNBA Player award.

A fan account tweeted Clark's ESPY nominations Thursday. Many fans found the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year going up against Auriemma hilarious.

Other fans rooted for Clark to win badly against the longtime Huskies coach.

Fans were stunned that Clark and Auriemma were in the same ESPY category, as there is a perceived animosity between the two.

In June 2024, Auriemma earned the ire of fans and pundits alike for calling Clark's fanbase "delusional," "disrespectful," "unknowledgeable" and "stupid" for suggesting that the 23-year-old star would finish third or fourth in the 2024 WNBA MVP voting. Auriemma was proven wrong as Clark finished fourth in the MVP voting.

"The delusional fanbase that follows [Clark] disrespected the WNBA players by saying that she's going to enter that league and tear it apart," Auriemma said during the June 6, 2024 episode of "The Dan Patrick Show." "There were actually odds on... she's third or fourth in betting odds on being MVP of the WNBA. These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid that it gives women's basketball a bad name."

---

Caitlin Clark is up against Wilson, Stewart and Collier for ESPY Best WNBA Player

ESPN announced Thursday that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark would go up against Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson, New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier for the ESPY Best WNBA Player award.

Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP, aims to win the award for the third consecutive year. Wilson, Stewart and Collier were also nominated the previous year alongside Alyssa Thomas.

In the 2024 ESPYs, Caitlin Clark wasn't nominated for Best WNBA Player. However, she won the Best Record-Breaking Performance for becoming the NCAA's all-time leader in scoring in any sport.

Comedian and actor Shane Gillis will host the 33rd iteration of the awards ceremony on July 16 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos