The Los Angeles Lakers’ arrival in the Garden brought with it star power and a healthy dose of humor at the expense of the league’s all-time leading scorer. Instead of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Jalen Brunson, it’s Caitlin Clark who’s stolen the spotlight in New York. The WNBA superstar made her debut with the NBA on NBC team as a special contributor before taking a courtside seat. And the Clark effect was palpable, even with the announcers making a gutsy link.

James found himself the target of the broadcast booth’s sharpest wit following a misfired “Logo 3” attempt. The shot came towards the end of the first quarter when the Lakers were up 33-27.

“Caitlin Clark’s in the house tonight, so he might as well try a Logo 3, right?” the announcer quipped as James airballed the shot.

It didn’t end there.

Since Clark has reportedly recovered from her season-ending quad and ankle injuries, the announcer left the option open for her to help James.

“Caitlin will take care of that,” the NBC broadcaster said.

It’s no secret that James is a huge fan of the Indiana Fever star. So, maybe, he tried to ‘Caitlinify’ his game tonight. But it didn’t go as planned, and that’s when, with Clark in the house and his old buddies in the broadcasting booth, things took a funny turn.

We know Logo 3s have been Clark’s thing since her days in Iowa. But James’ efficiency beyond the arc has been shaky in his 23rd season. The announcer’s quip proves that while the King is stunningly still productive at 41, the logo 3s are best left to the WNBA star.

The Caitlin Clark effect takes over NBC and LeBron James

Honestly, who can blame the NBC crew for being this excited? While LeBron James’ former teammate and New York Knicks legend, Carmelo Anthony, was on broadcast duty, Caitlin Clark brought a lot of energy to the pregame panel. Clark earlier shared that she herself was in awe of the venue and the Lakers legend.

“There’s just a different type of buzz, and obviously when LeBron comes to town, it’s probably different,” the Fever star said. “Knicks fans are crazy, and I love it. I love people that are passionate about basketball, so it’s pretty incredible.”

The NBC team was obsessed with her, especially fellow Indiana basketball stalwart, Reggie Miller.

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“There’s a new shooter from Indiana, I’m the third-best shooter in the state of Indiana now,” Miller said on the pregame show. “It goes Caitlin, Tyrese, and now myself.”

While Clark joked that Tyrese Haliburton would definitely have something to say about that, the internet largely agreed with Miller.

The praise for her shooting efficiency comes from Clark’s ability to make buckets from 35+ feet. It makes for an epic sight when she’s on the midcourt logo doing that.

Meanwhile, LeBron James has seen a stark dip in his three-point shooting accuracy to below 33%, down from the 40% range in the previous two seasons. He also created a viral moment last season with a Logo 3 and a three-point hat-trick all at once while Bronny was hyping him up.

Despite the announcers’ jab, the NBA veteran is well past caring about his averages now.

These days, James has been more vocal about his mutual admiration for Clark while defending her from haters. He might not even care that Indiana guard has set a new standard for deep shooting, one that even a legend like him is now measured against.