Caitlin Clark’s WNBA impact draws major Sue Bird, Chiney Ogwumike praise

Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA and women’s basketball has been a hot topic among media members, athletes, and fans since she became one of the fastest-rising stars in sports as the star of the Iowa women’s basketball team. The conversation has continued throughout her rookie WNBA season with the Indiana Fever, and Sue Bird and Chiney Ogwumike are among those praising Clark.

Both Bird and Ogwumike played in the WNBA — Bird for about 20 years and Ogwumike for nearly a decade — and have become popular personalities in the media. Their praise of Clark was for different reasons, though, as Bird was discussing the WNBA Rookie of the Year race, while Ogwumike spoke on Clark’s general impact as a face of women’s basketball.

While talking with her fiancee Megan Rapinoe during a live show, Bird said she favors Clark in the WNBA Rookie of the Year race.

“I have Caitlin as Rookie of the Year,” Bird said. “For Rookie of the Year, I don’t do the stat comparison. Yeah, it can help… I just do the eye test, and to me, she’s Rookie of the Year.”

Ogwumike was recently on the Awful Announcing Podcast, where she said Clark’s “impact” extended further than just the WNBA.

“She is the most impactful player that I’ve seen hit the scene — not even just in basketball, but in sports — in a generation for how she moves the needle, not only in viewership, but business, and that rising tide lifts all boats,” Ogwumike said before naming Maya Moore, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and Diana Taurasi as those who exhibited “greatness” in the WNBA but did not have the impact Clark has had on the league’s popularity.

“But Caitlin Clark is bringing it to new heights, exponential heights,” Ogwumike continued, “and it’s bringing and ushering in the moment that we have always been waiting for.”

Caitlin Clark the favorite to win WNBA Rookie of the Year

Caitlin Clark is probably enjoying a much-needed break. By not being selected by the United States women’s basketball team for the Olympic Games, Clark has some time off as the WNBA takes a month off, which is the longest time away from the court Clark has had in nearly a year.

Almost immediately after leading Iowa to a second consecutive national title game, Clark was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft. Soon thereafter, she made her WNBA debut with the Fever but struggled to find her footing in the competitive, physical league.

While it seemed like it may take an entire season for Clark to figure things out, she proved it wouldn’t take that long. Clark has played 26 WNBA games, and in the first 13, she averaged 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 37.3% from the field and 33.0% on threes. In the last 13, she is averaging 17.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists while improving her field-goal percentage to 43.4%.

Although Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky has also proved to be a contender for the WNBA Rookie of the Year, Clark is a massive favorite to win the award; according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Clark’s odds to win ROTY are -2000 and Reese’s are +700.