Caitlin Clark Called ‘Steph Curry But With A Michael Jordan Mindset’

Caitlin Clark is one of the new generation of stars who have made women’s basketball into a global phenomenon. She’s regarded as one of the best players in the league, constantly dominating headlines of the WNBA while playing for the Indiana Fever.

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Recently, Colin Cowherd, a FOX Sports commentator, compared Clark to one of the biggest names in basketball history.

“She’s Steph Curry, but with kind of a Michael Jordan mindset,” he said. “All business, all basketball, has no opinion or comment on the controversies.”

Early in the season, Clark spoke about on-court issues. However, she shied away from certain topics, particularly about whether transgender women should be allowed in women’s sports. According to Cowherd, Clark’s presence “is a singular reason that the league is in a much better spot financially,” indicating the new collective bargaining agreement that allows players to earn more, offers better travel conditions, and a profitable TV deal.

No One Like Caitlin Clark

The 24-year-old Fever guard, who is currently in her third year, had her fifth 30-point-plus, 10-assist-plus performance over the weekend against the Chicago Sky. There have been four other such games in WNBA history.

“The path to growth is always through discomfort,” the sports media personality added, while citing the UFC more than 10 years ago, several professional sports dynasties, and current college sports as examples of leagues and programs that financially benefit from offseason and off-the-field, court, and octagon controversies.

“The WNBA was growing, and the reason it was growing was because the quality is pretty good,” Cowherd explained. “The North Star of the league’s growth, private jets, new TV deal, packed arenas, Taylor Swift in tennis shoes is Caitlin Clark. She’s not driving the controversy, although she’s surrounded by it. But like Michael Jordan, she is all business.”

Caitlin Clark Addresses Her Legacy

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During a pregame media session on August 18, Clark addressed questions about her long-term legacy ahead of the Fever’s matchup against the Toronto Tempo in Canada. Reporter Savanna Hamilton of CBC and the WNBA asked the athlete what she hopes to be remembered once her career on the court ends. 

“A lot of my favorite players growing up, I don’t know how many points they ever ended up scoring, or I don’t know how many three-pointers they made,” she said. “Hopefully, it’s just the impact that you can leave on people and the way you made them feel. And I think that’s kind of been the story of my career.”

Clark added, “And I hope you know when I’m done playing one day, that’s what people remember the most about me is the way I’ve been able to unite people to cheer on basketball and love a game, or bring people together to, you know, love a sport in a way that they’ve maybe never have before.”

Caitlin Clark’s Impact On The Court

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During the interview, Clark also addressed what her impact on basketball has been, and how she has felt it. Being one of the best players today, she is aware of her impact on the WNBA.

“Like there’s so many people that have come up to me and been like, ‘I’ve never watched women’s basket before,’ and I don’t take offense to that,” Clark recalled. “I think that’s a really cool thing to, you know, bring people in that have maybe never experienced something that I’ve loved all my life, and so I hope you know when I’m done.”

She added, “That’s probably the biggest thing that I’ll probably look back on my career and be proud of is just the amount of people that I’ve been able to bring in and enjoy the game that I’ve always loved since I was a young kid.”

Steering Clear From The WNBA’s Trans-Athlete Controversy

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Earlier this month, Clark broke her silence on the recent debate surrounding transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. After Indiana’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, August 2, she spoke with the media about the pressing topic and said that her team’s focus is currently on winning games.

“I think for us, it’s not really a discussion we really have in our locker room,” Clark said. “I think it’s for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions, but our focus is on basketball.”

The whole trans-athlete controversy blew up after Clark’s teammate, Sophie Cunningham, told the media that she was against transgender individuals playing against biological women in competitive sports.

“I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham explained.