Indiana Fever president Kelly Krauskopf has reportedly deleted her X account and is laying low after fans took exception to a bizarre comment she made about Caitlin Clark.
The Fever are in a rough patch of form and some fans have been looking for any excuse to throw shade at the front office.
In a recent press conference, Krauskopf gave her detractors some perfect material, when she claimed she wanted to make the Fever ‘as big as Apple’, with some believing she put star player Clark down in the process.
Speaking to the media, the president of basketball and business operations in Indiana said: ‘We want to sustain the growth and the interest level in the franchise. I mean this is about the Indiana Fever.
‘Yes, we have a foundational players in Caitlin Clark… and Aliyah Boston, and we’re going to add to that. But I want this team to be a leader in the country, and an enduring brand… like Apple or something. We have a real opportunity here.’
Fans immediately jumped on the comment, with one claiming: ‘Enduring brands lean into their visionary. Apple became a global icon by making Steve Jobs both its visionary and its star.’
Kelly Krauskopf left fans furious after her comments about the Fever and Caitlin Clark
Fans have claimed she is ‘fumbling’ Indiana’s opportunity of having the biggest name in the W
Another added: ‘95% of your brand is Caitlin Clark,’ and a third said: ‘They are fumbling this opportunity so hard. I think CC goes overseas and becomes the global superstar she could be if things don’t shift by the end of her contract.’
A fourth summed up fans’ feelings by posting: ‘Kelly… I’d say 75% of Fever fans go where Caitlin goes. Get mad at me, but the moment CC leaves Indy is the moment I quit buying Fever tickets. This is so stupid, she has no idea how to capitalize on the moment properly. You build around CC. She is the brand right now.’
Seemingly in a bid to get away from the blowback to her comments, by Friday night Krauskopf had deleted her X account altogether, with an error message in its place.
Fever were back to winning ways on Friday night but have struggled for form in recent weeks
As of Friday night, the Fever president had deleted her account on the social media site X
A win against the Atlanta Dream took the Fever’s record back to .500 for the season, with 10 wins and 10 losses – but it has been far from plain sailing.
Clark has, at times, been injured, and in recent days has struggled for form on the court, with her teammates stepping up instead.
Kelsey Mitchell had 25 points and three assists on Friday, while Aliyah Boston had 19 points and Sophie Cunningham contributed 16 off the bench.
Clark, meanwhile, had 12 points, nine assists and four rebounds.
