If you ever watched the NBA from 1984-1998, this will make more sense. That’s the Jordan Era. I don’t intend to say that Caitlin is Michael Jordan in every respect, but she’s the player that is taking the WNBA from a marketing perspective to a similar place as Jordan did. He became literally the worldwide icon of the game. His popularity didn’t diminish other great players; it brought the overall talent into sharp relief. Like Clark now, no one would have said Jordan was the best in the league in 1984, or even 1987. But the fans saw what they saw, and “voted” with their dollars and attendance and TV viewership.
She absolutely has the ability to be a multiple time MVP, scoring champion, league champion, and assist leader. How is she not like Jordan? Right now, I don’t see Caitlin being the best offensive and defensive player at the same time, as Jordan was. Or as the great A’ja Wilson is right now. I hope she proves me wrong. But like Jordan in 1997, Caitlin is good for 20 every night, no matter how badly she plays. (You could pencil in Jordan for 25 under the same conditions.) Caitlin’s career high is 45 points. She’s still 24 years old.
Also, the distance between Caitlin and the rest of the league is unlikely to be as great as Jordan at his peak. The talent level in the WNBA overall is mind-boggling. If and when Clark becomes the best player in the league, she’ll have to fight to stay there. And I can’t see her earning near-universal acclaim and respect as Jordan had and still has. A’ja Wilson is going to be named MVP for the fifth time in her still young career, and the team she leads, the Las Vegas Aces, has 3 WNBA championships and seeks a fourth.
Legendary coach and executive Gregg Popovich helped create a winning culture that is almost unbelievable. The San Antonio Spurs since the year 2000 have a winning percentage of .625, far and away the highest from that point until now. Higher than any team LeBron James has been on. Higher than the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. Higher than any team Allen Iverson was on. The peak created by David Robinson and Tim Duncan persisted long after Robinson retired. The winning culture made legends out of unheralded players like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Popovich became some combination of president/GM/head coach in 1996, only taking a largely honorary position as President of Basketball Operations last season at age 76 after a stroke. In the latter half of Tim Duncan’s career, he named an assistant coach, Becky Hammon, the first woman to coach in the NBA. Hammon had retired as the third-leading scorer in WNBA history herself, and after winning an NBA Summer League title—it’s a showcase for newly drafted rookies—Hammon became the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, where she remains today. Indeed, Vegas was once directly affiliated with the Spurs. On a personal note, if you honestly think women can’t coach men and in the NBA, you are stupid, and you can kiss my grits. I want to ask Jesus to send the great Pat Summitt to haunt you.
Despite the league doing unproductive ideological crap that harms its current astonishing growth, I’m definitely watching. It’s fun all over the place. Give me every bloody highlight package you can find. Especially if it has Caitlin in it.
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