Reggie Miller’s comparison of Caitlin Clark to Payton Pritchard during NBC Sports’ debut of Basketball Night in America raised eyebrows across the basketball world.
While being compared to Pritchard isn’t necessarily an insult, Clark herself appeared caught off guard. Now, Carmelo Anthony is weighing in, and he’s giving Clark far loftier company, naming three superstars, including Stephen Curry, as more fitting comparisons.
Carmelo Anthony Suggests Stephen Curry, Tyrese Haliburton as Better Comparisons for Caitlin Clark
Clark appeared during NBC Sports’ debut at Madison Square Garden alongside host Maria Taylor and analysts Miller, Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady. When Taylor asked Miller which player Clark reminded him of, his answer raised eyebrows.
Pritchard is a respected NBA guard, no doubt, and an important contributor for the Celtics. He is known as a reliable scorer off the bench and a steady presence in big moments. But Clark’s résumé, however, places her in a very different tier, and Anthony agrees.
“I was hearing it loud as s**t in my ear, and when he said Payton Pritchard, it just caught me off guard… He wasn’t completely trippin’, but he was trippin’. She got a lil’ Steph [Curry], [Tyrese] Haliburton. She play a little like Luka [Dončić]. She know angles. She manipulates your offense,” Anthony said.
Carmelo Anthony with his own Caitlin Clark comparison following her reaction to Reggie Miller 🗣️
“I was hearing it loud as sh*t in my ear, and when he said Payton Pritchard, it just caught me off guard… He wasn’t completely trippin’, but he was trippin’. She got a lil’ Steph… pic.twitter.com/Wuvr5qGFkM
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 17, 2026
Individually, however, Clark is not a carbon copy of any of them and blends elements of several NBA stars. Like Curry, she stretches defenses with deep shooting range. Similar to Haliburton, she orchestrates offense as a primary ball-handler. And like Dončić, she uses pace and angles to control the floor.
Ultimately, Clark does not need a perfect NBA comparison. She is carving out her own identity and, in many ways, redefining the spotlight in women’s basketball.
In her rookie WNBA season, she led the Indiana Fever to their first playoff appearance in eight years, won Rookie of the Year, led the league in assists, and earned All-WNBA First Team honors. Though injuries disrupted her second season, her impact remains undeniable, driving league-wide viewership, ticket demand, and national attention.
While some surface-level similarities may exist with Pritchard, such as shooting confidence, off-ball movement, and big-shot ability, the comparison undersells Clark’s impact. Equating one of the most influential players in the WNBA with an NBA rotational guard, however accomplished, undersells Clark’s impact. Aligning her with elite playmakers feels far more reflective of her stature.
