Doc Rivers says quiet part out loud about Caitlin Clark’s superstar status

Caitlin Clark is one of the brightest stars in the WNBA. In just her first season in the league, she turned the Indiana Fever into one of the most popular teams in women’s basketball and drew tons of eyes to the WNBA. Clark has been involved in pretty much every viewership or attendance record the WNBA set since the 2024 draft. She has also backed up her popularity with stellar plays and an early MVP case.

Clark isn’t just a superstar in the WNBA, though. She is a superstar across the entire basketball world, including the men’s game. Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers acknowledged her superstar status when he appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast, and even put her over most NBA stars. 

“She may be the biggest superstar in basketball right now or top three,” Rivers said about Clark. 

Caitlin Clark is the very definition of a superstar 

Bill Simmons and Doc Rivers established two aspects of what makes a superstar in basketball. Simmons pointed out that true superstars are able to sell out opposing arenas because they are so good that fans want to watch them, even when they are playing for the other team. 

Clark has done that repeatedly—more than any other current basketball star. Even when she was a rookie and still figuring out her transition to the WNBA, opposing teams had to move games to bigger arenas when the Fever came to town. That trend continued into the 2025 season and the WNBA wisely decided to capitalize on Clark’s popularity, putting most of the Fever’s regular-season games on national TV. 

Rivers later added that what makes Clark such a big-time star is that she doesn’t just put up big scoring numbers but also excels at getting her teammates involved. Over six games, Clark is averaging 8.7 assists, close to a double-double. She is one of the best passers in the league. It may be the deep threes that catch the most attention from fans, but Clark also dishes out plenty of phenomenal assists few players can get to work. 

Caitlin Clark’s stardom can rival that of almost any NBA star

The NBA is full of big-time stars. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, for example, have been superstars for years. Younger stars like Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama are also on the rise.

Nevertheless, Rivers felt comfortable saying that Clark is at least in the top three when it comes to superstars in the basketball world. The WNBA and its stars may not receive as much media coverage and attention as the NBA and its players, but Clark can rival anyone’s stardom.