Caitlin Clark Rumors
On a day that the league expanded its rosters from 30 to 36 players, those sources said Unrivaled has told Clark she can “take as long as she wants” to decide, mindful of the grind Clark has endured over the past year as a collegiate player and rookie in the WNBA. But Unrivaled has also strategically signed two of Clark’s closest friends — Fever teammate Lexie Hull and former Iowa teammate Kate Martin — to recent contracts, and, according to sources, speculation is Clark is leaning “60/40″ to saying “yes.”
“Comes down to mental health, stress or playing ball –which she loves,” one source said of Clark. “She has not decided yet…there will be a spot for her if she wants it, but she will be paid for what she brings to the league, as much as a new league can afford… I think a few weeks we will know.”
The WNBA — coming off one of its most successful years ever in terms of attendance and attention — had 12 teams this season; seven of those teams currently do not have coaches. The Dallas Wings are about to hire their fourth coach in seven seasons. The Atlanta Dream made the playoffs; they let Tanisha Wright go anyway. The Indiana Fever, with Caitlin Clark coming off her record-setting rookie year, fired Christie Sides over the weekend after a 1-8 start was turned around into a playoff berth. And on Monday, the Connecticut Sun and coach Stephanie White parted ways after back-to-back trips to the WNBA semifinals.
Wembanyama finds inspiration from all around the game. He raves about fellow rookie of the year Caitlin Clark, the WNBA star from the Indiana Fever. (“When she was in college … the only college player that I was in awe of. I’m saying men’s and women’s basketball. She’s probably the most impressive,” Wembanyama said.) And he’s eager to learn from a couple of highly decorated veterans that the Spurs brought in this summer, Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. “He works extremely hard,” Paul said of Wembanyama. “His ability to shoot, pass, dribble, do everything, his defense … it’s taken some getting used to. We’re a work in progress.”
The new Unrivaled women’s basketball league is thinking big. Caitlin Clark big. Fresh off agreeing to an inaugural TV deal with TNT Sports, the new league will try to recruit Clark in the coming weeks, sources with knowledge of the strategy tell Front Office Sports.
EDO, the TV outcomes company, released today a report detailing ad effectiveness across the NBA, WNBA, and men’s and women’s NCAA basketball leagues. The Basketball TV Outcomes Report highlights lifts in consumer engagement in WNBA and NBA regular season games, identifies which brands are driving the strongest results in basketball, and charts the explosive impact of ads featuring rising stars like Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Caitlin Clark.
LeBron James: I have a great deal of respect for Caitlin Clark, because I know exactly what it means to be drafted, be the face of a franchise, and also get the scrutiny from a lot of people that don’t believe you’re ready for the next jump, don’t believe you’re ready for the big leagues, and just don’t think that you belong. And I remember that when I came into the league at eighteen years old how many people doubted me and hoped and prayed that I’d fail. And so, me watching Caitlin and seeing what she’s doing, I’ve been in support of her since day one, because I remember myself going through that, and she has my support 100 percent. She’s a transcendent player. And obviously we all saw that at Iowa, and I knew that it would translate to the big leagues. And she’s an unbelievable talent. It’s great to watch.