Sunday night gave us an unexpected moment. Caitlin Clark looked genuinely stunned after Reggie Miller compared her to Payton Pritchard. Coming from the most iconic Indiana basketball player of all time, the comparison sparked immediate backlash toward Miller, and now, a Celtics legend has doubled down on it.

Just like the fans, Paul Pierce admitted he was genuinely baffled by the comparison and even called it “an embarrassment” on the No Fouls Given podcast.

“She had that look like, ‘Bro, I was thinking more Stephen Curry,’ because of her magnetic pull,” Miller said. “They’re not doubling him everywhere, face-guarding him, denying him like they do her, like they do Steph. Did you see her at the USA game? They were picking her up full court.”

He continued, “He (Pritchard) doesn’t lead the team in scoring. I love Payton, that’s my little brother. Her gravitational pull is on the same level as Steph’s in the WNBA.”

That comparison caught most people off guard. And to be clear, this isn’t a knock on Payton Pritchard at all. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is a proven shooter, hitting 35.2 percent from three this season, nearly 40 percent for his career. And he has never been shy about pulling up from the logo or launching half-court heaves either

But putting him next to Caitlin Clark undersells just how different her shooting gravity is compared to everyone else around her in the W.

Caitlin Clark is more than just an elite basketball player. She is to the WNBA what Michael Jordan was to the NBA in the 1980s, or what Stephen Curry has been over the last decade. Clark has become the face of the WNBA, lifting it to new heights. Seen through that lens, comparing her to Payton Pritchard didn’t feel like a compliment.

In many ways, it would have made far more sense if Reggie Miller had compared Caitlin Clark to himself. It almost felt like a tailor-made setup for that answer. He made a Hall of Fame career shooting the lights out for the Pacers, and now Clark is doing that for the Fever. That obvious connection is what made his actual answer so unexpected.

But this isn’t the time for Caitlin Clark to worry about comparisons. There are bigger things to worry about right now, and one of them directly affects the future of the WNBA. As CBA talks continue and lockout fears linger, Clark has continued to project optimism about where things are headed.

Caitlin Clark optimistic about a new CBA

As things stand, the WNBA still hasn’t officially responded to the WNBPA’s counterproposal. That proposal was submitted after the league put forward an offer featuring a $1.3 million max salary, an average salary above $530,000, and a revenue-sharing framework that deducts a portion of combined team and league revenues.

While the league has now given its word that it is preparing a revised proposal following Monday’s meeting, Caitlin Clark had already shared her confidence a day earlier. During Sunday’s pregame show, Clark expressed optimism that the league and the union would ultimately come to an agreement.

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“I feel very confident that we’re going to get something done. And that’s because we’re in this moment because of the product we put on the floor so we need to continue to do that. And I know everbody’s working really hard, there’s a meeting tomorrow that’s really important. And I truly do believe we’re going to get something done here in the next couple weeks,” she said.

It remains to be seen what the league’s revised offer will look like, but it will likely need to move much closer to a $10.5 million salary cap and a revenue-sharing structure that gives players 30 percent of gross revenue, as demanded by the union. Will that happen? Only time will tell.