Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark's Rookie Season Sparks Positive Shift in Women's Basketball

Sue Bird, a legendary WNBA player, praises the impact of rookie Caitlin Clark, highlighting her role in elevating the sport to new heights. Bird addresses misconceptions surrounding the narrative about Clark's reception in the league, attributing it to misunderstandings and emphasizing the competitive nature of the WNBA.

Legendary WNBA player Sue Bird has expressed her admiration for this year's rookie class, particularly Caitlin Clark, whom she believes has significantly contributed to the growth of women's basketball. However, Bird has also addressed the "narrative" surrounding Clark's reception in the pros, which she believes stems from a misunderstanding.

During an appearance on the "Good Game with Sarah Spain" podcast, Bird spoke about the perception that Clark's popularity did not sit well with the league's veterans. She refuted this notion, emphasizing that Clark was welcomed warmly by her fellow players.

Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark's Rookie Season Sparks Positive Shift in Women's Basketball

"For the remainder of time, Caitlin will go down as, whatever you want to call it – the one who made the change, this pivotal person. She will 100%. But in other leagues, it was never like when LeBron (James) came, ‘Oh Michael Jordan didn’t matter.’ And for some reason that happened (in the WNBA)," Bird said.

Bird suggested that the competitiveness of the WNBA was misinterpreted as animosity toward Clark. "It caused this whole thing when the reality was no player felt a way towards Caitlin. Everybody was very welcoming, inviting, and they mistook, I think, competitive talk with hate – with hating on somebody."

Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark's Rookie Season Sparks Positive Shift in Women's Basketball

Clark has also commented on her treatment in the league. Discussing a controversial flagrant foul committed against her last month, Clark downplayed the incident, attributing it to the competitive nature of the game. "No, basketball's competitive. I get it," Clark said. "Sometimes your emotions get the best of you – it happened to me multiple times throughout the course of my career. People are competitive. It is what it is."

Bird acknowledged that the line between competitiveness and hatred can be thin, but emphasized that this was not the case in the WNBA. "I think the majority of WNBA players – with their play, with their talk – it was just competition, not hate for a person."

Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark's Rookie Season Sparks Positive Shift in Women's Basketball

Bird, a 13-time All-Star, also praised Clark's impact on the game. "Her long-distance 3s – I've always said this, we finally got the antidote to dunking. All we heard our entire existence was, ‘You guys are boring, you don’t dunk’ … In a sense, I think she snapped people out of this trance that was really negative towards women’s basketball, and now she’s brought this huge group."

Heading into the league's month-long break for the Summer Olympics, Bird expressed her belief that Clark is currently the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. "We’ll see where the stream goes," she added.

Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark's Rookie Season Sparks Positive Shift in Women's Basketball

Bird's insights underscore the positive impact that Clark has made on women's basketball, both on and off the court. Her unique style of play and charismatic personality have attracted a new generation of fans and helped dispel outdated stereotypes. Bird's perspective, as a respected figure in the WNBA, further validates these observations and highlights the growing momentum behind women's basketball as it continues to break new ground.