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Caitlin Clark gets compared to Michael Jordan by 2x Super Bowl champion for boosting WNBA's popularity
LeSean McCoy has become the latest to give his take on the recent controversy surrounding Caitlin Clark and Chennedy Carter, comparing the situation with Michael Jordan.
During the June 1 game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever, which Caitlin Clark’s team won 71-70, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 WNBA draft was involved in a back-and-forth with Carter.
During the third quarter, Carter had initially exchanged words with Clark, after which she scored a layup. She then proceeded to shove Caitlin Clark to the floor, which was deemed a common foul in-game, and later upgraded to a flagrant 1.
The incident comes amidst severe scrutiny that Clark’s fellow WNBA players have not been ‘welcoming’ to the 22-year-old prodigy, who has also not been picked for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Regardless, the two-time Super Bowl champion, who was on the "SpeakOnFS1" show, compared the situation to when Michael Jordan first arrived in the NBA. He claimed that just like Jordan, Clark's arrival in the WNBA also resulted in an evident increase of interest in the league itself, which means commissioner Catherine Engelbert should step in, just like David Stern once did:
"The biggest problem is the commissioner," McCoy said. "When Michael Jordan was Michael Jordan, and before he kind of ran the NBA, he was that superstar that was coming in. It was the Jordan rule... It was part of trying to execute a plan against the greatest player we have seen in the game."
He added:
"At that time, was the biggest exciting player, like Caitlin is. David Stern the commissioner said, 'Hold up. Y'all not about to mess up the biggest thing for the NBA.' Which was Michael Jordan."
McCoy added that Clark deserved the same kind of protection, which has not been apparent thus far.
LeSean McCoy believes Caitlin Clark is being subjected to ‘hate’ from fellow WNBA stars
McCoy said what many WNBA fans have also claimed in recent weeks. Caitlin Clark has seemingly received incessant hate from a range of WNBA stars, which has also reportedly resulted in her absence from the Olympics roster.
Speaking of Carter’s foul, LeSean McCoy said:
"That's hate. There's no basketball part of that. And then if you look at the teammates on the sideline, cheering and clapping it up, it's like – if I'm playing football, and someone's doing something dirty to the quarterback, and then you look to the sidelines where the team is at, and they're clapping, you can see there's conversations of hate going on."
A number of Chicago Sky players, including Angel Reese, were seen celebrating the foul initially. Furthermore, reports have claimed that Clark’s omission from the Olympics roster was done at the behest of two WNBA veterans who thought her fans would not respond well if the 22-year-old received limited playing time at the tournament.
While Clark’s arrival has undoubtedly resulted in a severe increase in interest in the league, there have also been hiccups, although the player herself seems resolutely focused on helping her team recover from their mixed start to the WNBA campaign. The Indiana Fever (5-10) take on the Washington Mystics (2-12) next at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday.
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