Caitlin Clark is a phenomenal athlete who has put eyes onto women’s basketball, specifically college and WNBA, since she was drafted to the Indiana Fever. She shares a lot of similarities to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James when he was coming into the NBA as he was also a one-of-one high school talent with a ton of media attention surrounding him.
Playing under that type of microscope is not easy, but luckily for Clark, she has leaned on James for support as she learns to come to terms with it.
“I mean, I think LeBron has just been there to support me more than anything,” the Fever star told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on NBA Today. “He understands the microscope that I’m under and the spotlight that’s on me and I think he just wants to be there for me more than anything. When I was hurt last year, he reached out and was like, ‘Is there any way I can help you? Like, is there anybody I can connect you with?’ Just somebody that’s there trying to help you, trying to help make the game better, help you improve. I think that’s a lot of our relationship now. And then a little bit of golf too. We text about golf. But that’s next on our bucket list is to play golf together. I’m not sure either of us are too great, so we might be chasing the ball a lot. But I think basketball players just love that mental challenge of an individual sport of golf.”
No one has been through more scrutiny than James through his 23 seasons in the NBA, so he is more qualified than anyone to offer valuable advice to Clark. Championship expectations come with the territory and the 41-year-old has won four titles in his career.
The Fever won their lone championship in 2012 and Clark is looking to end that decade-plus-long drought. To develop a positive relationship with an all-time great should work wonders for her career moving forward and hopefully ease the pressures that come with being a face of a franchise.
LeBron James applauds Bronny
During the latter stages of his career, James has still found ways to thrive during a grueling NBA season, and having his son as a teammate has definitely provided an added spark.
Despite negative narratives surrounding Bronny in his rookie season, he found a way to be impactful in a playoff series this year and LeBron applauded his growth during his second year with the Lakers.
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