A former WNBA star and league champion gave Caitlin Clark significant praise and did not try to minimize Clark’s impact on the WNBA when asked about the Indiana Fever star’s rapid success.
Although Clark has yet to make a deep playoff push in her short career, there is no denying that she has real basketball potential and the other skills required to become the face of the WNBA and revolutionize the league.
Lisa Leslie is a well-known former WNBA star best known for her time with the Los Angeles Sparks, where she won two WNBA titles. She is considered to be one of the few female sports icons who inspired a generation of younger women to exercise and take their physical development seriously. When asked a question about Clark’s increasing popularity and how it makes others feel, Leslie ended up discussing Clark and her effect on the league.
Lisa Leslie Rejects Any Notion of Hating Caitlin Clark
Although Clark had not had any significant interactions with the WNBA stars before entering the league, or even after for that matter, she appeared to have a target on her back and was always the one who was fouled hard by the opposition in her first few WNBA games. Fans noticed this attempt to rattle her and throw her off her game several times throughout the season.
While Leslie may have never behaved in the same manner as Clark, she had retired from the WNBA many years before Clark started her own professional career. Therefore, she never felt the need to view Clark in a critical light or with an air of jealousy. Leslie was not even caught off guard upon discovering that 41 of Clark’s 44 regular-season games were televised.
Leslie might truly admire Clark and have a sense of respect for her. Any female professional basketball player will know that Clark managed to draw more attention to the WNBA, which has helped each woman in the league get closer to recognition and success at an individual level.
Unfortunately, some of the players’ behavior toward her initially sent a message that the women were not appreciative of her and did not want to give her any special treatment. Leslie ended up confidently going in the other direction by claiming that Clark has done everything to deserve the fame and recognition she is being given.
It is certainly nice to see that some veteran players from the WNBA have no problem supporting Clark. WNBA fans are left wondering what the ceiling for Clark and the Fever is for this season.