Mainstream NBA media has officially jumped on the Caitlin Clark hype train

Caitlin Clark is the worst-kept secret in professional basketball. The Indiana Fever star has been in the spotlight since her dominant years at Iowa, and now, she’s ushering in a new era of WNBA basketball. Alongside a league full of stars, Clark is bringing a whole new set of eyes to the WNBA, and her fame has transcended the league itself.

On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons podcast, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers and Bill Simmons himself spoke about how incredible her stardom (and on-court play) has become. She’s the definition of a superstar, and it stretches well beyond the walls of the WNBA.

“Caitlin Clark, as of right now, I feel like, with the WNBA, she was out for two weeks, and it felt like the league stopped,” Simmosn said.

“Caitlin Clark is Pistol Pete,” Rivers said. “She really is. I can watch her— Yo, it’s funny, in college, everyone was mesmerized by her shooting. I’m like, that’s the least of her game. It’s her passing. It’s a great example of what we talked about with Haliburton. 

“When you watch Caitlin Clark’s team play, they run the floor like there’s no— You know why? ‘Cus they know they’re going to get the ball. They make cuts ‘cus they know they’re going to get the ball. It’s amazing. And that’s what a superstar does for their team. She is an absolute superstar. She may be the biggest star in basketball.”

What about Caitlin Clark makes her famous?

The electricity of it all. Clark has found the perfect balance of talent, flair, and buy-in.

On the court, she’s one of the best players the WNBA has seen in a long time. She’s not the best player in the league right now. A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and others still hold court atop the league. But Clark is coming.

Her shooting and playmaking mimic that of Stephen Curry, and she has some of the same mannerisms. The rowdiness after a made bucket. Getting the crowd pumped up after a scuffle. The complete willingness to feed into the atmosphere of an arena at any given moment in time.

Clark has the personality to match her skills. But it’s not overbearing. She’ll keep the antics on the court, and whenever the opportunity presents itself to talk about incidents that occur, she steers the conversation back to basketball.

And on top of all of that, she’s ready to accept the spotlight. Clark is doing commercials, showing up to Indiana Pacers games, and embracing the millions of cameras being pointed at her on a weekly basis.

She’s a megastar who’s ready to accept being a megastar. And she has the basketball world at her fingertips.