Is the WNBA doing enough to support Caitlin Clark's stardom? | The Herd
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are on a 6-1 run, with Clark seemingly running away with the Rookie of the Year award. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright ask whether the WNBA is doing enough to support Clark's rising stardom.
NBA All-star Dejounte Murray seems to have entered the fray.
The New Orleans Pelicans guard commented under an Instagram post that highlighted some of the WNBA records Caitlin Clark set during her first season in the league. "She's not DOMINATING," Murray wrote along with several laughing emojis.
Murray's comment comes just days after four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes suggested that while rookie Clark's stat line was "good," she would not place the rookie's performance this season in the "dominating" category.
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Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks warms up before the game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center on April 4, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Clark finished the regular season averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. Her assists average was the highest in the league in 2024. Connecticut Sun Alyssa Thomas averaged 7.9 assists per game, which was the second best in the WNBA this season.
CAITLIN CLARK PLAYOFF TICKETS COST MORE THAN ENTIRE 2023 WNBA FINALS COMBINED
"Those are hell of a numbers," Swoopes said earlier this week during an appearance on the "Gil's Arena" podcast. "But to me, that’s not dominating." A few months ago, Swoopes was criticized for suggesting that Clark had set the all-time NCAA scoring record because she had had the benefit of playing five seasons at the college basketball level.
Clark competed at Iowa for a total of four seasons. Swoopes later acknowledged that she made an error, and also stated that she directly apologized to the Indiana Fever rookie.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) signs mini basketballs for fans following a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
In February, when Swoopes was once again a guest on former NBA player Gilbert Arenas' podcast, she predicted that Clark would not immediately experience the same level of success at the pro level that she did in the collegiate ranks.
"Will Caitlin Clark be a good pro? Absolutely. Will Caitlin Clark come into the WNBA and do what she's doing right now, immediately? Absolutely not. Not gonna happen."
Texas Tech alumna Sheryl Swoopes attends the Alumni Weekend at the Texas Tech game against Baylor, Saturday, January 28, 2023, at United Supermarkets Arena. (IMAGN)
Swoopes revisited those remarks and clarified her statement during her latest appearance on the podcast.
"I know people are like, ‘Oh, my God, you said she wouldn’t be good,’ but I didn’t say she wouldn’t be good," Swoopes said. "What I said was I didn’t think Caitlin or Angel [Reese] would come into the league and dominate immediately, which I don’t think either of them did."
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Swoopes is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, a six-time WNBA All-Star, and a three-time league MVP.
Clark and the Fever recently clinched a playoff berth. Game 1 of Indiana's first round series against the Sun begins on September 22.
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