Legendary NBA Coach Makes Polarizing Caitlin Clark Comparison
There's no denying the overwhelmingly positive effect Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark had on the WNBA during her rookie season.
Clark and the Fever have broken numerous records this season for average attendance (17,036) and total attendance (340,715), plus they've shattered multiple records for television ratings and merchandise sales as well.
Three teams - the Atlanta Dream (431%), Washington Mystics (311%) and Minnesota Lynx (131%) - saw a 100% or greater increase in their games against Clark's Fever than they did in all their other games, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press .
Five other teams - the Los Angeles Sparks (80%), Seattle Storm (77%), Phoenix Mercury (64%), New York Liberty (44%) and Las Vegas Aces (42%) - saw an increase of over 40% during their games against Clark than all their other games.
Upon seeing those numbers, former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl, who was also a four-time All-Star Game head coach, threw out a bold comparison for Clark's impact on the WNBA.
"Caitlin Clark may be the Julius Erving of the WNBA," Karl said. "He had that impact on the ABA then NBA!"
While Clark's star status might be comparable to Erving's, comparing her to "Dr. J" is a daring move, though some might agree that she's brought as many eyeballs to the WNBA this season as Erving used to back in his day.
Clark's Fever averaged more home fans per game this season than three NBA teams - the Charlotte Hornets (16,448), Memphis Grizzlies (16,631) and Washington Wizards (16,896) - and three MLB teams - the Oakland A's (9,843), Miami Marlins (12,959) and Tampa Bay Rays (16,595).
Erving, who had 16 combined All-Star appearances (11 NBA, five ABA) and four MVPs (three ABA, one NBA), was considered a must-watch player of his generation. He's widely considered to be one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time and he was selected to an All-Star game every season he played in the ABA and NBA.
Related: Caitlin Clark Becomes First NBA/WNBA Player to Accomplish Rare FeatThis story was originally published September 20, 2024, 10:38 PM.
