WNBA star Caitlin Clark has left her thoughts on the debate over basketball’s greatest player and named LeBron James as her pick after winning the Time Athlete of the Year award.
King James has always been vocal in supporting Clark, and when the WNBA star was asked about the public support she has received from LeBron, Clark lauded his efforts and went on to call him the best to ever play the game.
“He’s the greatest basketball player of all time, so I think that’s pretty cool,” Clark said to Time.
James has also made it known to the world that Clark’s critics are mere “haters.”
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The debate surrounding James’ place in basketball history is one of the sport’s most talked about topics.
LeBron James holds the NBA’s all-time scoring record, yet his four MVP awards and four championships rank behind other legends, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six MVPs, five titles), Michael Jordan (five MVPs, six titles), and Bill Russell (five MVPs, 11 titles).
For Caitlin Clark however, the game goes beyond such statistics.
She rather focused on his consistent support for her career, which dates back to her college days at Iowa.
“LeBron never messaged me directly, but it’s been cool to, like, just see his support of myself and the [WNBA] overall,” Clark said.
“You can tell he really watches and turns it on, and, yeah, he’s been a kind of big fan of myself from college and now in the W.”
Clark is widely regarded as one of the biggest stars in women’s sports and has also been candid about privilege and race in the WNBA.
After she received her Time award, Clark went on to acknowledge the contributions of Black players to the league and stated that they remain crucial for Basketball.
“This league has kind of been built on Black players,” Clark said. “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players.”
Clark’s comments came amid ongoing discussions about race and recognition in the WNBA.
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson has also spoken out about the lack of attention given to Black players. “It doesn’t matter how hard I work. It doesn’t matter what we all do as Black women; we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug,” she said.
Clark then addressed the dynamics, stating: “The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Clark faced her own share of controversy during her rookie season in the WNBA, including an altercation with Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter, who shoved her to the ground during a game.
The moment was one that got many talking all over the nation and some fans accused Carter of bullying as others claimed Clark was the target of jealousy.
The challenges have been there for all to see, yet Caitlin Clark looks focused on her game and LeBron James’ support will continue to inspire her.
