Caitlin Clark proved herself to be that rare player who can lift an entire league on her shoulders.
I called a longtime friend the other day, a fellow sports fan, to catch up, and we spent the first 20 minutes talking about women’s professional basketball.
Neither of us had ever exhibited the slightest interest in the WNBA, but both of us, simultaneously, unbeknownst to the other, had become Caitlin Clark fans.
There are transformational players who change the competitive balance in a league or change how the game is played, but it’s rare to come across players who lift an entire league on their shoulders.
There was much knowing chatter when Clark entered the WNBA that she was in for a rude awakening after her historic college career, that she wouldn’t look so special against the best women players in the world.
And, yes, there was a period of adjustment, but as the WNBA regular season ends and the playoffs begin, we can say the Clark doubters have been proved categorically wrong.
Infamously, Geno Auriemma, the storied coach of the University of Connecticut women’s team, said back in June, “The delusional fanbase that follows her disrespected the WNBA players by saying she’s going to go in that league and tear it apart.”
Delusional? Clark has had the best rookie season in WNBA history and turned everything she’s touched to ratings or attendance gold.
