Caitlin Clark is already the Taylor Swift of women’s basketball after bringing unprecedented attention to the WNBA in her rookie season.
That’s the verdict of WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman, who has even compared the Indiana Fever sensation’s fans to Swift’s die-hard legion of ‘Swifties’.
Clark has enjoyed a breathtaking debut season in the big leagues after being selected by Indiana with the first overall pick at this year’s draft.
As well as smashing endless records on the court, the 22-year-old has also put more bums on seats than ever before in the WNBA – with a number of teams setting record attendances for games against the Fever and TV ratings soaring.
And Lieberman, who spent close to 40 years in women’s basketball’s top flight as a player and coach, has drawn comparisons between Clark and pop megastar Swift.
“Her fans are like Swifties, they’re incredibly loyal.”@Hoophall legend @NancyLieberman tells @TermineRadio Caitlin Clark is doing fantastic things for women’s basketball. pic.twitter.com/2X3CGfosUK
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 6, 2024
‘It doesn’t matter who people fancy at the moment. It’s Caitlin Clark. She is the Taylor Swift of women’s basketball right now,’ the 66-year-old said on Sirius XM’s NBA radio station.
‘Her fans are like “Swifties”, they’re extraordinarily loyal. And in every arena you go into, half the people there are her fans wearing her jerseys.
‘She’s a media superstar, but damn… she backs it up every step of the way. Her numbers are unreal what she’s done, whether it’s the second triple-double, leading the league in assists.’
Lieberman has also been left baffled by Caitlin’s critics in her rookie season, adding: ‘Everybody’s talking about Caitlin’s shooting, but she’s a great team player. When your teammates like you and love you, you know you’re doing something right.
‘They adored her in Iowa, they really, really like her here in Indiana. So why pick on her? Why do that? Just appreciate the greatness she’s bringing to the game.’
Lieberman has recently been involved in a dispute with Hall of Fame forward and guard Sheryl Swoope over Clark, revealing that their friendship has come to an end because of a disagreement about the Fever rookie.
The former Detroit Shock head coach appeared on Stephen A. Smith’s show this week and talked all things Clark and Swoopes, after calling Indiana’s game against the Dallas Wings on Sunday.
According to Smith, Swoopes was axed from being on the broadcast team for the game because of her past controversy with Clark and replaced with Lieberman.
Lieberman did not deny the switch and went further by saying that a phone call in which she tried to help Swoopes understand facts about Clark is what drove a wedge between them.
‘Well, she got upset with me on the phone,’ she told Smith. ‘And I was like “Sheryl, I’m not doing anything to hurt you. I’m just sharing.” And so our relationship pretty much is not happening at this point.
‘I tried to talk to her at the Final Four, she didn’t want to talk to me.’
