LeBron James has been one of WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s most vocal supporters and it turns out it’s because he can relate to what she’s been through. During an interview with Esquire, James explained why he respects Clark so much and hailed her as a transcendent player.
“I have a great deal of respect for Caitlin Clark, because I know exactly what it means to be drafted, be the face of a franchise, and also get the scrutiny from a lot of people that don’t believe you’re ready for the next jump, don’t believe you’re ready for the big leagues, and just don’t think that you belong,” James said. “And I remember that when I came into the league at eighteen years old how many people doubted me and hoped and prayed that I’d fail.
“And so, me watching Caitlin and seeing what she’s doing, I’ve been in support of her since day one, because I remember myself going through that, and she has my support 100 percent,” James continued. “She’s a transcendent player. And obviously we all saw that at Iowa, and I knew that it would translate to the big leagues. And she’s an unbelievable talent. It’s great to watch.”
I think you can certainly draw parallels here. Some certainly hoped and prayed that LeBron would fail when he entered the NBA out of high school in 2003. The hype surrounding him was unlike anything the basketball world had ever seen and the doubters felt it was undeserved, which led to all that hate coming his way.
Clark, meanwhile, was the most hyped WNBA prospect ever. The 22-year-old became the NCAA Division I’s all-time leading scorer earlier this year and won her second straight national player of the year award too.
Clark’s style of play at Iowa only added to the hype, but her doubters felt her game wouldn’t translate all that well to the pros. Despite those concerns being raised, she was unsurprisingly selected with the first pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.
Clark didn’t set the world alight from the get-go, though, which gave the doubters some ammunition, but LeBron wasn’t worried one bit. James backed Clark to shine despite the slow start to her WNBA career, and boy, did she shine.
Caitlin Clark’s Phenomenal Rookie Season
When a player comes in with the kind of hype that Clark had, it’s not often that they manage to live up to it, but she certainly did. The Fever guard averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in the 2024 season and was named Rookie of the Year.
Clark also finished fourth in MVP voting and was selected to the All-Star team. She led the Fever back to playoffs for the first time since 2016 but they were swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round.
Despite the season ending in disappointment, there is no doubt that, in all, it was a successful one for Clark. She now gets some well-deserved time off and I expect her to be even better in 2025. I don’t see Clark winning MVP, but she might make a strong case for it.
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