By Chris Lavergne

Updated 5 hours ago, July 26, 2026

Barack Obama surprised the WNBA All-Stars at practice, then pulled Caitlin Clark aside for a quieter word a hot mic caught anyway. “Don’t let all this nonsense get you down,” he told her.

Jonquel Jones wraps up Caitlin Clark — MVP trophy in hand — as teammates join the celebration after the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at United Center in Chicago on July 25, 2026. Photo by Sage Zipeto / Getty Images.

Obama walked in on the WNBA All-Stars during practice at his newly opened presidential center on Chicago’s South Side, then leaned in close to Clark with a message a hot mic picked up. “Don’t let all this nonsense get you down,” he told her, adding that one of the luckiest things for him was not getting famous until he was “like 45. So I was an old-ass man. I mean, you’re my daughter’s age.”

Caitlin Clark (#22) pumps her fist after scoring for Team Spoon in the first half of the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game at United Center in Chicago on July 25, 2026. Photo by Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images.

Clark is 24, the fastest player in WNBA history to hit 200 three-pointers and the first ever to post 45 points with 11 assists in a game. She’s also picked up seven technical fouls this season, one shy of a suspension, jawing at referees over calls she feels go against her.

Barack Obama greets WNBA All-Stars at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on July 24, 2026. Photo by Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images.

“So don’t lose that joy,” Obama went on. “The game’s, like, the game. And you’re a hooper. And you hoop.”

Caitlin Clark, wearing Indiana Fever #22, makes her way into Chicago’s United Center ahead of the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game on July 25. Photo by Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images.

Afterward Clark told reporters she’s “trying to navigate a lot of different things while trying to play basketball at the same time,” and called the exchange a reminder “to treat people with respect, treat people with grace.”

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