Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest players in the league, and that was evident once again on August 23. She became the first player in WNBA history to record five career games with at least 30 points and 10 assists. Yet as controversies continue to follow the league, how she has navigated them has become one of the biggest talking points. And former ESPN host Colin Cowherd believes that her approach says a lot about the kind of player she is.
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“She is Steph Curry but with a Michael Jordan mindset. All business. All basketball. Has no opinion or comment on the controversies,” Cowherd said on The Herd‘s latest episode.
“The Fever offense is not only number one in this league at 97 a game. It’s the best offense in league history because of Caitlin Clark. So with all this drama and nonsense around her – Caitlin Clark is number one in assists, number three in scoring, best offense in league history, (and) greatest shooting range in league history – she’s not driving the controversy. Like Michael Jordan, she’s all business.”
Michael Jordan was one of the biggest players in basketball history and is often credited with changing the course of the sport. But with that level of attention also came a constant focus on how he handled the controversies surrounding him. Jordan rarely allowed those conversations to become part of his public persona, most famously captured by his “Republicans buy sneakers, too” stance. And even after his playing career was over, Jordan never seemed to regret taking that approach.
“I never thought of myself as an activist, I thought of myself as a basketball player,” Jordan said in a 2020 ESPN interview. “I wasn’t a politician when I was playing my sport; I was focused on my craft.”
That is where the comparison between him and Caitlin Clark becomes more interesting.
The WNBA is currently dealing with one of its biggest controversies surrounding transgender athletes in women’s sports, and Clark, who is widely viewed as one of the faces of the league, has taken a neutral approach to that debate.
“I think it’s for leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions,” she said following the Indiana Fever’s 108-100 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2. “Our focus is on basketball.”
Now, her approach has brought plenty of scrutiny her way, with some believing Caitlin Clark should have taken a stronger stance in support of her teammate Sophie Cunningham. But Clark has maintained she wants to focus on the game.
“I think first and foremost, like you know, you speak when you feel like you want to speak,” she said in an interview with ESPN earlier this month. “I try to just show up and be myself every single day.”
Staying away from the noise does not mean Caitlin Clark is unaware of it. She has simply chosen to keep it from becoming bigger than what she wants to do on the court – and that is exactly what stands out to Cowherd.