Basketball star Caitlin Clark fielded a cringe comment from reporter Gregg Doyel on Wednesday that quickly drew backlash as it circulated on social media, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The awkward exchange played out at a press conference where the Indiana Fever rookie answered questions after being newly drafted onto the team. When Doyel, an IndyStar reporter, took the microphone, he held up his hands to make a heart shape the same way Clark has been seen gesturing at games.
Clark, 22, smirked and asked, "You like that?"
"I like that you're here," Doyel said. "I like that you're here."
"I do that at my family after every game," Clark told Doyel.
"Well, start doing it to me and we'll get along just fine," the reporter responded. His remarks have since gone viral for the wrong reasons, eliciting responses like: "What a weirdo" and "Dang that reporter is cringe."
"Be professional you’re there to do your job," an X user wrote.
Barstool Sports reporter Jack McGuire also posted to the social media platform, saying that Doyel "has now shifted to being weird towards Caitlin Clark."
Some have even gone so far as to demand Doyel's credentials be revoked over the exchange, according to TMZ.
Neither Doyel nor Clark had commented publicly on the ordeal as of Wednesday afternoon.
Doyel had posted from his own X account the day before the press conference, writing about "the Caitlin Clark effect" and sharing a photo of a group that gathered to watch the WNBA draft.
"This was our first glimpse of the Caitlin Clark effect: More than 10,000 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, bigger than any game crowd in years," he wrote. "Clark's new Fever coach and teammates exploded happily with everyone else - twice!"
More than 10,000 people were in the crowd at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse to watch Clark's draft onto the Fever.
Clark broke several records while playing college basketball at the University of Iowa on The Hawkeyes and announced she was headed to the WNBA in late February.
The athlete described the moments she was chosen for Indiana's team as "super special" following the draft.
"When you're just sitting at a table waiting for your name to be called, that really allows the emotions to feed you," Clark said, per ESPN.
"You're with your family. Obviously, playing a basketball game, I'm not out there with my family. So sharing that moment with them and enjoying it, and people that have really had my back and believed in me more than anyone, is super special," she continued.
Clark was named No.1 overall by the Fever during Monday's draft at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The WNBA rookie scored 400 points during 14 career games in the NCAA Tournament and earned the title of "Big Ten Player of the Year" by coaches and media for the 2023-24 season.
"Dreams to reality," she wrote in an Instagram post after going pro, adding: "INDY LETS GET IT‼️"
The basketball star is originally from De Moines, Iowa.