The WNBA has never seen such extraordinary attention thanks to rookie star Caitlin Clark. Yet, the 22-year-old has become distant from many seasoned industry experts as a result of the glitz and glamour surrounding her. When LeBron James first entered the NBA as “The Chosen One,” he too experienced similar treatment. As a result, he had some wise counsel for Clark to help her overcome the chilly stares from those around her.
JJ Redick mentioned in the most recent Mind the Game pod episode that Clark has been dealing with a lot of “hatred” and “hatred” from the more seasoned WNBA players.
LBJ remembered how he encountered “animosity” from his teammates when he first started his NBA career, so he was able to quickly empathize to Clark’s situation.
James said to Redick,
“My own teammates that I had to be like on the floor with, practicing with, on the planes with, in the locker room, in game situations, had this kinda, you don’t wanna say hate but just like animosity towards me,”
LeBron thought this was odd because he didn’t approach them with the haughtiness of “The Chosen One,” instead wanting to “learn from the vets.” Still, he needed to handle it delicately.
In order to lessen her suffering, he gave the Indian Fever guard some very wise advise. The four-time NBA Champion gave her advice, telling her to stay focused and keep working hard. James advised Caitlin,
“Be a horse man, the Kentucky derby, put your blinders on. Go to work, show up to work, punch your clock in, prepare yourself. Work on your game, work on your craft, kinda keep your mouth shut and learn from the vets,”
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer repeatedly emphasized that Clark should be quiet so that her critics can’t “splice it up” to fit their own storylines.