Lebron James Reveals His Big Hope For Caitlin Clark's First WNBA Season
From one basketball legend to a future basketball legend, LeBron James is sending well wishes for Caitlin Clark's first WNBA season. After graduating from the University of Iowa, with an impressive repertoire in her back pocket, Clark became the No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA. After joining the Indiana Fever, people were eager to watch her professional career, as her college run proved how talented she was.
Now that the 2024 WNBA season has kicked off, all eyes have been on Clark, even from some of the greatest to ever take the court. James proved he is a die-hard fan of the Indiana Fever star after appearing on the podcast, "Mind The Game." He shared, "The one thing I love that she's bringing to her sport: More people want to watch. More people want to tune in." He continued, "Don't get it twisted, don't get it f***ed up. Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things is gonna happen for the WNBA." It's true — while a handful of rookies have helped pique more interest in the WNBA, you can't deny Clark is leading that excitement.
As she continues to take over the WNBA, James hopes the best for her. He said, "I'm rooting for Caitlin because I've been in that seat before, I've walked that road before. I hope she kills." The Los Angeles Lakers star has cheered Clark on for a while now, and has become one of her fiercest defenders in the process.
LeBron James has called out Caitlin Clark haters
Caitlin Clark's rise to stardom hasn't been all it's cracked up to be. With all her fame has come a lot of hate, and we mean a lot. One person shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Why is everybody talking bout Caitlin Clark like she's the Next Big thing, girl got famous like 1 week ago stop hyping that fraud." Even fellow WNBA pros have hinted that the University of Iowa alum would get humbled in her professional career. Speaking about Clark, Diana Taurasi, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, shared on ESPN, "Reality is coming. There's levels to this thing ... You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you're going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time." From people within the WNBA to all the internet sleuths, Clark has not caught a break from the criticism.
Even basketball star LeBron James has noticed the backlash Clark has received in the past couple of months and is not for it. The Los Angeles Lakers star took to X to defend the newbie. He tweeted, "If you don't rock with Caitlin Clark game you're just a FLAT OUT HATER!!!!! Stay far away from them people!! PLEASE." James has grown protective over Clark as she continues to face backlash, but people should never bet against the Indiana Fever star, who has already made major changes to the WNBA.
The Caitlin Clark effect is in full force
It would be a good idea for people to follow in LeBron James' footsteps and back Caitlin Clark, because she is already changing the WNBA, despite her disappointing salary. The demand for Indiana Fever tickets has increased dramatically since Clark joined the team. Although the WNBA team wouldn't specify the exact increase, other ticket sale sites have. According to ESPN, Vivid Seats said that they saw a 91% increase in the Indiana Fever's opening game after Clark was picked in the draft. SeatGeek also reported that the average ticket price, as of April 2024, was around $182, which was a 130% uptick from the season prior. Fans aren't only willing to come and watch Clark play in person; those who may not be able to attend in-person games have tuned into different networks to watch the basketball star play.
Per Newsweek, Clark's WNBA preseason game over the weekend of May 18 against the New York Liberty team brought a whopping 1.71 million viewers. The matchup between the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty teams has become the most-watched WNBA game in ABC history. And it looks like the Clark effect has trickled down to other WNBA teams as well. The Los Angeles Sparks versus Las Vegas Aces matchup garnered 1.34 million viewers, becoming the third most-watched game for the WNBA on the ABC network. Clearly, the hype around Clark has changed the WNBA forever.