Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark’s debut season is off to a slower start than expected, but these first few games won’t define her career.
Lakers superstar LeBron James defended Clark on the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast with JJ Redick. He relates to the 22-year-old rookie who carries the weight of an entire league on her shoulders, he told Redick.
The WNBA’s newest superstar is starting to experience the downsides of being in the spotlight after dominating college basketball for four years at Iowa.
Clark is averaging a solid 17.0 points and 5.5 assists per game, but he also has more turnovers (26) than assists (22) and is shooting just 34.3% from three. The Fever have lost their first four games of the season, joining the Washington Mystics as the only two teams without a win as of Tuesday.
The adaptation to the WNBA has not been as smooth as Clark would have hoped, and criticism is mounting due to the unprecedented attention she is bringing to the league.
Still, Clark has James on his side, and there aren’t many more people in the sport more qualified to talk about such pressure than the 39-year-old NBA legend.
LeBron James talks about Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA
Instead of focusing on her struggles early in the season, James decided to shed light on the positives Clark is bringing to the WNBA in her rookie season.
“The one thing I love that she brings to her sport is that more people want to watch it. More people want to tune in. Don’t twist it. Don’t ruin it. Caitlin Clark is the reason a lot of great things are going to happen for the WNBA.” James said.
He’s not wrong either. While it is not solely due to Clark, there is no denying that the young star’s arrival played a major role in bringing more nationally televised WNBA games and chartered flights for WNBA teams.
James related to what Clark is going through, as she plays under a microscope as one of the most hyped WNBA prospects of all time.
“For her, individually, I don’t think she should be involved in anything that’s being said,” James said. “Just have fun, enjoy.
“I’m rooting for Caitlin because I’ve been in that seat before. I’ve been down that road before. I hope she slays. I hope Aliyah Boston does great. I hope they do great.”
This is what @King James have to say about @CaitlinClark22 and the hate she has received during her time in the WNBA.
Watch the full episode with @jj_redick: https://t.co/5hyyY2bIhe pic.twitter.com/db4Jvj7OFD
– Mind the game (@mindthegamepod) May 22, 2024
James also linked Clark’s criticism to what he is experiencing with his son Bronny, who is going through the 2024 NBA Draft process with the bright spotlights.
“I’m in this mode right now because I’m understanding the same thing by looking at [Bronny]that he’s a 19-year-old kid who’s getting a lot of animosity and hate toward him when he’s just a kid trying to live his dream,” James said.
“There are a very small number of men and women who actually manage to make their dream of playing a professional sport come true. And we’ve grown up here, men and women, doing everything they can, to try to make sure that doesn’t happen… “It is what it is, but I’m glad Caitlin has a great head on her shoulders.”
Clark still has 36 more games in her rookie season in the WNBA, giving the Fever star plenty of time to get things back on track. Indiana has three more games this week, facing the Storm on Wednesday, the Sparks on Friday and the Aces on Saturday.
