Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson is perhaps one of the people in the world who can relate to Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark.
Like Clark, Johnson was the first overall pick in his draft class and immediately faced pressure to win on the Lakers.
All eyes have been on Clark since entering the WNBA and she’s already been subject to some physical plays on the court.
In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Johnson recalled his experiences as a rookie and offered some advice to Clark:
“Veterans are going to test you,” Johnson said. “And if they feel that you’ve gotten more money or more publicity, they’re upset about that. So when I came my first training camp, first day at practice Rob Boone, I was looking up to get the rebound, he came and hit me real hard behind the neck. My own teammate and he said, ‘Take that rookie.’ So I said, ‘OK.’ So I got up and about three plays later he was looking up to box me out so I ran as fast as I could and I hit him right behind his neck really hard. And he fell to the floor and I told him I said, ‘Don’t forget. I’m tough, I’m rough, if you wanna play like that we can play like that.’ And all the Lakers players came running up to me and hugged me and said, ‘We like you.’ Because I couldn’t let him get away with that.
“Now Caitlin, her teammates gotta come to her defense. You can’t allow her to have to fight every battle. But we have to understand that both Caitlin, Angel and Brink who plays for my Sparks, they made the WNBA better and they’re going to be tested by these incredible women who have been in the league for a long time. Caitlin is the most popular WNBA player, but she’s not the best at this time. Just like Larry and I were not the best when we entered the league. We became the best later on by our play. Caitlin still has to play great to be the best WNBA player.”
Johnson also suggested that Clark calls Larry Bird for advice given his ties to Indiana and former pro career.
Like Johnson, LeBron James also gave advice and support to Clark as she navigates the professional game. Although there will be some bumps in the road, it’s only a matter of time until Clark figures things out as she’s too talented and gifted not to.
Magic Johnson wanted Lakers to hire UConn’s Dan Hurley as next head coach
Aside from Caitlin Clark, Magic Johnson also expressed his desire for the Lakers to hire UConn’s Dan Hurley to be the franchise’s next head coach, although he eventually turned them down.
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