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Ahead of the 2025 WNBA season opener, Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper-Dyke joined Stephen Jackson on All The Smoke to offer high praise for Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark.
Clark, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, shattered records during her inaugural campaign, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game, and led the Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016 with a 20-20 finish.
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“One word to describe Caitlin Clark. Amazing. A beast. She is the truth… she is a complete basketball player,” Cooper said.
Cooper was the driving force behind the Houston Comets’ dynasty in the league’s infancy from 1997-2000.
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke burst onto the WNBA scene in 1997, at age 34, as the WNBA’s first league MVP while leading the Houston Comets to the inaugural championship in 1997.
Over the next four seasons, Cooper guided the Comets to a record four consecutive titles (1997-2000) and was named Finals MVP each year and league MVP in 1997 and 1998.
Cooper also won two NCAA titles at USC (1983, 1984), collected Olympic gold (1988) and bronze (1992), and was inducted into both the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2009) and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2010).
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark quickly lived up to the hype.
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She led the league in assists (8.4 per game) and set rookie records for three-pointers and single-game assists, earning Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the All-WNBA First Team, becoming the first rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 to do so.
With veteran additions such as DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard, Indiana enters 2025 with loftier expectations, aiming to build on last year’s momentum and Clark’s emergence.
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