Caitlin Clark lived up to the high expectations of both fans and commentators, as she dominated the WNBA. The guard had a decent start to her rookie campaign, but many have predicted that she will win MVP after the league resumed following the Olympic break because of her performance. Shannon Sharpe expressed her satisfaction that the Indiana Fever star is performing as expected and said that LeBron James would have been proud of her amazing influence.
The pundit made comparisons between the excitement around Clark and the four-time MVP prior to their rookie seasons on Monday’s edition of First Take.
He mentioned that the WNBA player was under tremendous pressure to make a big impact on women’s basketball and transform her team from basement dwellers to postseason hopefuls.
Shannon Sharpe talks about Caitlin Clark
The Pro Football Hall of Famer asserted that Clark was deserving of the fanfare because of her statistics, the Fever’s record, and the WNBA’s all-time high viewership and ticket sales. Sharpe stated:
“As far as box office, tell me the lady…She’s basically the LeBron James. The kinda hype that LeBron came into the NBA with, Caitlin Clark came to the WNBA with the same type of hype and she’s backed it up.”
“The kind of hype that LeBron came into the NBA with, Caitlin Clark came into the WNBA with the same kind of hype, and she backed it up.”
—@shannonsharpe on Caitlin Clark’s rookie season. pic.twitter.com/oAwjUTu9Ar
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 2, 2024
Sharpe responded to the criticism that Clark, who benefits from a platform established by the legends of the past, is being unjustly hailed as the woman who saved women’s basketball. He uttered:
“When Michael Jordan [was playing], nobody was talking about Connie Hawkins, nobody was talking about Wilt Chamberlain. Nobody was doing that. That’s what we’ve always done, we talk about the player that’s currently playing.”
He said that players that contributed to the establishment of the WNBA’s foundation, like as Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, and others, will always be honored for their achievements. But like James did for the NBA, he thinks the Fever player is a unique athlete who will propel the league to new heights. There are many parallels between Clark’s debut season and the Lakers superstar’s, even though their routes aren’t quite the same.
