Nancy Lieberman sees Caitlin Clark as WNBA’s Michael Jordan for her ‘polarizing’ effect on league

By Orlando Silva

Modified Sep 07, 2024 00:29 GMT

Women's basketball legend Nancy Lieberman shed light on Caitlin Clark's polarizing figure among fans. The former Phoenix Mercury and Detroit Shock player joined the Dan Patrick Show to discuss one of the hottest topics in the WNBA this season: Caitlin Clark.

The Indiana Fever young star has created two factions of people in favor or against her. When Patrick asked her why Clark became this polarizing figure, Lieberman compared the No. 1 overall pick to Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest NBA player of all time.

"You know what? We got this point because this point has happened before. You know well enough that in 1984 when Michael Jordan came into the NBA, the ratings in the NBA were not great; Chicago stadium was tearful and he comes in from college winning the championship at North Carolina, and you know, the Jordan Rules were in effect, they're knocking the heck out of him...

She also mentioned Tiger Woods and how he was treated when he joined the PGA and became a star.

"All of his games are on TV, and he was just a polarizing figure, and Tiger Woods was like that when he went to the PGA as well. He changed the total economics of golf the same way Michael Jordan changed the financial economics of the NBA. And, I think with that, there's going to be a human nature sometimes to have some envy or some jealousy and it's happening now to Caitlin Clark," Lieberman said.

Caitlin Clark's impact on the WNBA is undeniable. She and the Fever have shattered records of viewership and attendance at home and on the road. Some people credit her for accelerating the project of having charter flights for every team in the league, as well as the new $2.2 billion media rights deal.

Nancy Lieberman reveals she called Sheryl Swoopes to discuss Caitlin Clark comments

Nancy Lieberman has been very active in speaking about Caitlin Clark, even calling Sheryl Swoopes to have a conversation regarding her criticism against Clark. After Swoopes said that Reese played five seasons in college and took 40 shots a game to break the NCAA women's all-time scoring record, Lieberman said she needed to have the right stats to talk about somebody.

According to Lieberman, Swoopes was upset over these comments, and their relationship 'is pretty much not happening at this point.'

This discussion, added to the Angel Reese comparisons, might be the biggest proof of how polarizing Clark's presence has been.