“From Criticism to Elite Status: Is Caitlin Clark Now in the Same League as LeBron and Wembanyama?”

While Caitlin Clark was already breaking records and dominating the court, a more recent instance of physicality has everyone talking. It all unfolded during the closing minutes against the Seattle Storm. As the clock ticked down, Clark, fired up the crowd—right in front of the Storm’s bench. This sparked a reaction from Skylar Diggins-Smith, who accidentally or not, bumped into Clark. Naturally, the incident set off a wave of commentary from NBA veterans, and even current a WNBA star couldn’t resist weighing in.

The 3× NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas took to his X account to share a clip from his podcast, captioning, “Caitlin Clark has figured out the WNBA 😤” The crew on the Gil’s Arena podcast discusses if the hate towards the rookie still persists. While Rashad McCants claimed she was targeted and Lexie Brown suggested that was just the case with every rookie, Arenas opined, either way, Clark shouldn’t be subjected to it with the status she has carried.

“99% rookies get the same treatment, but there’s a few that come through history, you can’t f**k with them.” He went on to make a bold comparison between Clark’s rookie season and that of NBA icon LeBron James, as well as the current sensation Victor Wembanyama. “Look when LeBron came, they got the yapping, mid-season, Wemby right now? Off-limits,” Arenas remarked.

Kobe was a sensation coming out of high school. Even before he could play with the Lakers, he had an Adidas contract and a Screen Actors Guild card. On the court, he’d play the biggest of names on the roster during practice as opposed to players his age. LeBron James, coming out of high school was believed to have brought an audience back to his city according to Mary Schmitt Boyer. And Wemby had his teammates, including three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, picking him as the first player to sign in building a new roster.

The players stirred their arenas, drew a crowd, earned their recognition. Caitlin Clark hasn’t been any less with her endorsement deals, sold-out arenas for the highest attendance in the league, peaked viewership, and of course the many records in points and assists on court. It’s clear the attention is on her.

Arenas thus believes it becomes a problem when WNBA stars, even with the common practice of instigating the rookies, do it to Clark on the camera. “Why it looks like hate… they are not understanding that all of them cameras is watching one person.” 

But common practice may it be as Lexie Brown suggests, Clark has finally “figured it out.” She isn’t turning away but instead giving it back. Just like she continued hyping the crowd instead of retreating after Smith bumped into her.

Her growth has only encouraged Arenas and McCants touting her as a strong MVP contender, but Brown highlights that despite all, she isn’t there yet.

Caitlin Clark falls short just yet

In the same podcast, Lexie Brown didn’t hold back when discussing the intense competition between Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson for the MVP title. Brown pointed out, “A’ja would probably have to never not play any more games this year. She’s playing out of her mind right now!” Indeed, Wilson’s performance has been nothing short of exceptional.

While the Las Vegas Aces have faced their fair share of struggles this season, A’ja Wilson has consistently risen above. Averaging an impressive 27.3 points per game [1st in the league] and 12 rebounds per game [2nd], Wilson is not just contributing—she’s dominating. She’s also leading her team in steals and blocks, with 2 and 2.8 respectively.

Clark isn’t lagging much either. Leading her team in almost every category, the Fever no.22 is averaging 17.8 points, 8.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. She leads the league in assists, became the first rookie to record triple-double, and set a single-game record with 19 assists. However, with Fever ranked 7 and Wilson racing ahead, MVP might not just be the title for Clark. But Rookie of the Year, not many deny.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.