Sue Bird is standing up for Caitlin Clark.

On her podcast with Megan Rapinoe this week, Bird was blunt in her assessment of the racism currently impacting the WNBA. The 13-time WNBA All-Star stated racism has always been part of the WNBA landscape and that Clark's arrival has nothing to do with it. Instead, the issue is now being noticed because of the increased attention the league has received.

"Racism has been impacting the WNBA well before this year," Bird said. "This is not a new thing. In that way, I do think Caitlin's being used as a pawn. Caitlin didn't bring racism to the WNBA. This has been happening and that, I think, is what has been such a shock for all of us, that other people are surprised by this. We've been trying to tell you."

Clark, and her fellow rookie classmates, have helped raise the WNBA's profile and ratings. The new wave of young stars have brought a lot of good to the league. But along with the good, there will always be bad. According to Bird, the bad has always existed, there is just more attention on it now.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sue Bird Says Racism Existed in WNBA Long Before Caitlin Clark's Arrival.