There’s been no shortage of parallels between Caitlin Clark and NBA greats. But Indiana Fever guard and her teammate, Sophie Cunningham has pushed back on one. Appearing on The Herd, Cunningham didn’t buy into the comparisons linking Clark to NBA Hall of Famer, Boston Celtics icon, and Indiana legend, Larry Bird.
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Colin Cowherd drew parallels between Clark’s game and that of legendary NBA stars, suggesting Clark possesses “Jordan’s ascension, Curry’s game, and Larry Bird’s personality” because of her physical, competitive edge. Cunningham rejected the personality comparison, emphasizing Clark’s distinct off-court persona.
“I think that Larry Bird honestly might have a little bit more sass… like Caitlin is just her own—her own personality. Like, especially off the court. Like, she is strictly basketball,” Cunningham told Cowherd. “She loves to sit on the couch. She loves to watch TV. She’s very simple. I don’t know Larry Bird, but I doubt that. I bet he was a little bit more fun off the court.”
Larry Bird’s sass indeed was unmatched. His favorite thing to do was call out entire plays, do exactly as he said, and watch his opponents reeling from the mind games. No basketball player has come close to that cold psyche yet.
When Cowherd noted Bird’s reputation as the “Hick from French Lick” who was similarly consumed by the game, Cunningham did concede that Clark matches Bird’s transformative impact on their respective leagues.
“I think it’s just like it’s been a blessing that she has been in our league,” Cunningham said. “I think the talent has always been there in our league, but just like the eyes and the platform and how she’s transforming our game… you can also witness greatness and say that she is great, and she has done so, so much for our sport right now. And I don’t know why people are so reluctant to give her her flowers.”
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese drew comparisons to the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson college-to-pros rivalry that brought the NBA out of the tape-delay era and into live broadcasting. Since their arrival in 2024, the Clark-Reese rivalry has had a similar impact on W’s visibility.
Now the WNBA doesn’t just have high viewership and attendance. The business opportunities that have opened up for the ladies through sponsorships, podcast deals, and even Unrivaled have made it a lucrative career.
Cunningham’s discussion around Clark comes alongside the launch of her new podcast, No Hesitation, co-hosted with basketball trainer Drew Hanlen on Colin Cowherd’s The Volume network.
On the debut episode of her show, Cunningham spoke candidly about the driving forces behind the WNBA’s recent surge in popularity, emphasizing that while the league office deserves some credit, the primary catalyst remains the players led by Clark.
“At the end of the day, it was pretty much Caitlin and the players,” Cunningham noted on No Hesitation. “I should not get in trouble for knowing the obvious. I think that you use that for your benefit. Like it is so obvious, and that doesn’t mean there wasn’t greatness before her. It’s just like that’s when our game really started to go global.”
The numbers back that up. Following Clark’s arrival in 2024, the WNBA recorded its highest total attendance in 26 years, drawing over 2.3 million fans through the turnstiles. And the momentum hasn’t slowed. Heading into the 2026 season, the league has a new collective bargaining agreement in place that pushes top player salaries up to $1.4 million, expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Toronto Tempo, and has an expanded 50-game regular season schedule locked in for 2027.
Stars like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Diana Taurasi laid the competitive groundwork that made all of this possible. But Clark’s arrival took that foundation and amplified it to a global audience the league had never reached before.