Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird refutes the notion that WNBA veterans harbored animosity towards rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, highlighting the competitive nature of the league and its pivotal role in elevating women's basketball.
In a recent appearance on the "Good Game with Sarah Spain" podcast, Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird addressed the "narrative" surrounding the WNBA, specifically as it pertained to the notion that Caitlin Clark's popularity didn't sit well with the league's veterans. Bird, a 13-time All-Star and four-time WNBA champion, vehemently refuted this claim, emphasizing that the competitiveness of the league had been misinterpreted as some kind of hatred toward the former Iowa star.
"For the remainder of time, Caitlin will go down as the one who made the change, this pivotal person," said Bird. "She will 100%. But in other leagues, it was never like when LeBron (James) came, ‘Oh Michael Jordan didn’t matter.’ And for some reason that happened here."
Sue Bird Breaks Down Caitlin Clark's 'Misunderstood' WNBA Reception
Bird went on to suggest that the league's intense competition had been mistaken for animosity towards Clark, a highly touted rookie who has made an immediate impact this season.
"It caused this whole thing when the reality was no player felt a way towards Caitlin. Everybody was very welcoming, inviting, and they mistook, I think, competitive talk with hate – with hating on somebody."
Sue Bird Breaks Down Caitlin Clark's 'Misunderstood' WNBA Reception
Clark herself has made similar statements about her treatment in the league. Speaking about a controversial flagrant foul committed by Chennedy Carter last month, Clark dismissed it as a byproduct of the game's competitive nature.
"No, basketball's competitive. I get it," Clark said at the time. "Sometimes your emotions get the best of you – it happened to me multiple times throughout the course of my career. People are competitive. It is what it is."
Sue Bird Breaks Down Caitlin Clark's 'Misunderstood' WNBA Reception
Bird acknowledged that it's a "thin line" between competitiveness and hatred, but stressed that the latter is not represented in the WNBA.
"I think the majority of WNBA players – with their play, with their talk – it was just competition, not hate for a person," she said.
Sue Bird Breaks Down Caitlin Clark's 'Misunderstood' WNBA Reception
Bird also praised Clark's impact this season, particularly her long-range shooting prowess.
"Her long distance 3s – I've always said this, we finally got the antidote to dunking. All we heard our entire existence was, ‘You guys are boring, you don’t dunk’ … In a sense, I think she snapped people out of this trance that was really negative towards women’s basketball, and now she’s brought this huge group."
Heading into the league's month-long break ahead of the Summer Olympics, Bird named Clark as her "current" favorite for Rookie of the Year, but emphasized that there was still much time left in the season.
"We’ll see where the stream goes," she said.
Bird's comments provide a valuable perspective on the competitive nature of the WNBA and the importance of recognizing the nuances of the league's culture. Caitlin Clark's impact on women's basketball has been profound, and her reception in the WNBA is a testament to the league's welcoming and progressive environment.
