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If there’s an authority on point guards in women’s basketball, it’s four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird. But not only is she a four-time champ, she’s a five-time Olympic gold medalist, trailing only Diana Taurasi, who holds six of her own.
So it’s safe to say that Bird knows ball.
The legendary former Seattle Storm guard sat down with sports journalist Taylor Rooks on May 28 to discuss Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and her remarkable transition from college basketball to the professional league.
Bird highlighted Clark’s exceptional basketball IQ and her ability to adapt quickly to the heightened physicality and complexity of the WNBA.
“You’re now playing against grown professional adults, and so there’s just an adjustment,” Bird told Rooks about the obvious leap in physicality rookies are faced with when entering the league. She went on to remark on her observations at Clark’s adjustment upon entering the WNBA, “I knew that was going to take some time. But I have to say, come All-Star break — maybe even a little bit before that — she had already, quickly figured it out.”
Clark’s reputation to assess on-court situations on the fly precedes her. Her understanding of the game sets her apart and Bird noted that Clark’s basketball mind allows her to make quick adjustments and read defenses effectively saying, “The things that I thought were going to…give her trouble, they did. But she figured that out much quicker than anyone could have anticipated.”
As Clark continues to navigate her sophomore season, insights from basketball legends like Bird carry weight across the WNBA landscape. And when it comes to evaluating a position that she once dominated, it’s clear that from Bird’s perspective, game recognizes game.
