WNBA legend Sue Bird gave her thoughts on Caitlin Clark’s debut with the Indiana Fever as well as her impact on the game as a whole.
“Not the best start, I’m sure she’s feeling that right now,” Bird said on The Rich Eisen Show. “But that’s part of adjusting to the WNBA.”
Although Clark shot just 5-15 from the field in her WNBA debut on Tuesday, Bird acknowledged the 22-year-old’s overall impact on the sport.
“It’s her moment,” Bird said (13:24 mark). “She’s coming off an amazing college season, drafted number one. There’s no way around it, everybody wants to see how she’s going to do.”
While Bird addressed the popularity of Clark, particularly during her college days at Iowa, she didn’t want to solely credit her with the recent surge in popularity that the WNBA has experienced.
“As her popularity started to grow, particularly this last year, it felt like women’s basketball in general, and then specifically the WNBA, was already on its way,” Bird added (13:40 mark). “The WNBA viewership, all the numbers that people look at, that was already on the rise probably over the last couple years. To me, Caitlin was just this match that kind of ignited it and just made it bigger.”
The 2023 WNBA season broke several viewership and attendance records, becoming the most-watched regular season in 21 years and owning highest average attendance since 2018 (h/t Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press).
Clark wrapped up a spectacular collegiate career with the Hawkeyes in the meantime, winning her third consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year award prior to her selection with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
She averaged 28.4 points per game in four college seasons, becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and leading Iowa to consecutive NCAA championship game appearances.
Bird knows a thing or two about succeeding in the WNBA, as she’s the all-time league leader in career games played. She retired in 2022 as the WNBA’s all-time assists leader as well, making 13 All-Star appearances and winning four championships with the Seattle Storm.
Clark will look to get on the right track in her next matchup against the New York Liberty on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
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