Tennis legend Serena Williams, hosting the 2024 ESPY Awards on Thursday night, cracked a humorous joke about Caitlin Clark, the rookie superstar for the Indiana Fever.
The rookie WNBA star was nominated for three ESPYS: Best Athlete in Women's Sports, Best Record-breaking Performance, and Best College Athlete in Women's Sports.
Serena Williams' opening monologue covered a wide range of topics, with Caitlin Clark's impressive rise in the sporting world highlighted, particularly her impact on basketball.
Serena Williams comparing Caitlin Clark to Larry Bird
Williams drew comparisons between Clark and NBA legend Larry Bird, offering humorous logic behind her analogy.
“You are the Larry Bird in that you are an amazing player, you have ties to Indiana, and white people are really crazy about you,” said Williams.
Clark currently stands out as one of the most prominent athletes across various sports, and Williams effectively highlighted why with her insightful comparison.
Serena Williams drew a comparison between Caitlin Clark and Larry Bird, noting how Bird's arrival in the NBA draft of 1978 from Indiana State University made a significant impact on the league, similar to Clark's emergence now.
Caitlin Clark has had an impressive debut season as a professional athlete, although she has faced challenges with the Fever, achieving a 9-12 record. She leads all rookies with averages of 16.7 points and 7.6 assists per game.
The former Iowa Hawkeye made NCAA history by surpassing the all-time scoring record for both men's and women's basketball players, tallying 3,951 points over four seasons with the Iowa women’s basketball.
Throughout her collegiate career, she maintained impressive averages of 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game.
Caitlin Clark in the WNBA
The Indiana rookie had a historic performance on Wednesday afternoon against the Washington Mystics that no professional basketball player in the NBA or WNBA has ever matched.
Clark balled out with 29 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, five made 3-pointers, five blocks, and three steals. She became the first player in either the NBA or WNBA to achieve all these statistics in a single game, as confirmed by the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever added that she was also the first WNBA player to “have 25+ points, 10+ assists, 5+ rebounds, 5+ steals, and 5+ three-pointers in a game.”
Clark made history as the first-ever WNBA rookie to record a triple-double in the league's 27-year history. She also achieved a franchise milestone as the first player in her team's 24-year history to accomplish this feat. This achievement followed several close attempts in previous games.
Clark's record-setting triple-double propelled the Fever over the league's top team the New York Liberty. She contributed 19 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds, leading her team to its most significant win of the season.
Caitlin Clark along with Angel Reese are the only rookies to be selected as All-Stars in the same season since 2014. Clark led the league in fan votes with an impressive 700,735, placing second overall behind A’ja Wilson. Reese secured the fifth spot with 381,518 fan votes.
Their impact extended beyond their gameplay, significantly influencing the league's overall dynamics. Compared to the previous season, WNBA All-Star voting surged by 597%.
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