Caitlin Clark fangirls over ‘greatest basketball player’ LeBron James showing love publicly

Caitlin Clark revealed her thoughts on receiving support from Lakers star LeBron James after dubbing him the GOAT.

Caitlin Clark fangirls over ‘greatest basketball player’ LeBron James showing love publicly

Caitlin Clark reveals thoughts on support from LeBron James

Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever’s rookie sensation and reigning Rookie of the Year, has made headlines once again, this time for her praise of LeBron James. In an interview with TIME, Clark shared her admiration for the four-time NBA champion, dubbing the Lakers star as “the greatest basketball player of all time.”

Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise has been punctuated by her ability to handle immense pressure with grace, a trait that has earned her fans across the basketball world, including James.

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The young star was particularly moved by his vocal support of her career, both during her college days and her transition to the WNBA.

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LeBron never messaged me directly, but it has been cool to just see his support of myself and the W overall. You can tell he really watches and turns it on. He has been a huge fan of myself from college and now in the W. I mean, he’s the greatest basketball player of all time, so I think that’s pretty cool.

Clark told Maria Taylor of TIME

Since her time at Iowa, where she led her team to a national championship game, LeBron James has been a consistent supporter. In April 2024, after the end of her stellar NCAA career in a Natty loss to the South Carolina Gamecock, James took to X to label any ‘non Caitlin Clark fan’ a hater.

If you don’t rock with Caitlin Clark’s game, you’re just a FLAT OUT HATER!!!!! Stay far away from those people!! PLEASE

LeBron James wrote on X at the time

For a rookie in her first professional season, receiving recognition from someone like ‘King James’, whose career spans two decades, is no small feat. Yet, no other stars across sports could possibly be compared when it comes to the hype both James and Clark generated before even stepping onto a professional basketball court.

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Is Caitlin Clark’s rise similar to Michael Jordan?

Before Michael Jordan played a single NBA game, he had already taken the league by storm with record-breaking sales for the ‘Jordan 1 Banned’ colorway, which faced resistance from the NBA. Caitlin Clark broke barriers even before stepping onto a WNBA court by signing a historic eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike, paving the way for her signature shoe line.

It may not be as evident to everyone yet, but the rise of Caitlin Clark echoes shades of the arrival of ‘His Airness’. Clark’s comparison to Jordan goes beyond sneakers and endorsements. Like Jordan, who lifted the Chicago Bulls from obscurity to dominance, Clark has reinvigorated the Indiana Fever, a franchise that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2016.

Michael Jordan’s NCAA triumph in 1982 and Caitlin Clark’s unforgettable run in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament are also eerily similar in the transformative attention they drew. Over 18 million viewers tuned in to watch Clark lead Iowa to the national championship game, a number which exceeds the NBA Final’s viewership tally, making it the most-watched women’s basketball event in history.

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While Clark still has a long way to go to replicate Jordan’s six NBA championships and ten scoring titles, her trajectory mirrors his in terms of cultural impact. From her clutch plays to her growing influence off the court, Clark is helping elevate women’s basketball to unprecedented levels, quickly becoming the face of basketball, much like Jordan did for the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s.