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Caitlin Clark shared her list of all-time great passers from WNBA and NBA: “Sue was the player that I loved getting to watch” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Caitlin Clark has revolutionized women’s basketball with her talent, skill set and box-office appeal. One of the biggest takeaways from her game has been her passing abilities, drawing inspiration from both the WNBA and NBA, with Sue Bird holding a special place.
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Clark has been creating waves with her passing abilities since her days at Iowa. She holds the record for the most career assists in Division I at 152. The six-foot guard is also Iowa’s all-time leader in assists, averaging 8.2 per game.
Averaging 8.4 assists in her rookie season, Clark led the league in assists, which earned her the 2024 WNBA Peak Performer award. During a Q&A session earlier this year, the Indiana Fever star was asked about her all-time list of great passers, to which she replied as follows:
“I think for myself, growing up, like that was Sue Bird for me. Sue was the player that I loved getting to watch. When I went to my first WNBA game, don’t tell Sue this, but I was more so there for the Lynx. But they were playing the Storm at the time. So, I got to see her play and the way she passed the ball,” said Clark about the Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer.
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She added, “And even on the men’s side, you know, I think Chris Paul and Steve Nash, and you look at players like that. I loved the men’s game growing up, too. And then I think, Ticha Penicheiro, not a player a lot of people always talk about, but somebody that – you watch her highlights, and you pull up some of the plays she had in the league, and it’s like she was making crazy passes behind her head and stuff,” mentioned Clark, who seemed to have an interesting mix of names from both the worlds of basketball.
Sue Bird: One of the WNBA’s all-time greats
The first overall pick in the 2002 draft, Bird played all her 19 seasons for the Seattle Storm. Entering the league, she was already popular due to to her decorated collegiate career. Coming off two NCAA championships with the UConn Huskies.
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Living up to all the hype, Bird did not disappoint, given her exceptional versatility. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, she possessed an unmatched court vision, coupled with remarkable passing skills. Not to mention her ability to shoot from long range.
Bird won a championship in each decade in a career that spanned from 2002 to 2022. Bringing glory on a national level, she is the recipient of five Olympic Gold medals. The veteran guard is also the all-time WNBA leader in assists, with a total of 3234.
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Related: “If you weren’t the best in anything, how can you be the best ever?” – Nick Wright explains why Kobe doesn’t belong in the GOAT conversation
Getting her flowers from Bird
From how things appear, the admiration extends both ways when it comes to Bird and Clark. Earlier this year, Sue gave her honest take on Caitlin’s rookie season, especially when it came to the physicality she was subjected to from the start.
“You’re now playing against grown professional adults, and so there’s just an adjustment. 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,” said Bird.
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A big moment for Clark, who had grown up watching Bird, picking up some of her passing tricks. While the Fever guard is just getting started, only time will tell whether she manages to earn herself a seat alongside Bird when it comes to the greatest point guards of all time.
Related: “They’ve definitely cleaned it up in that aspect” – Parish on why he’s in favor of the so-called ‘soft’ NBA era
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
