Clark flattered by praise from WNBA star Sue Bird
Bird said Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark is “the most exciting player in college basketball.”
Iowa Guard Caitlin Clark (22) takes a shot during a semifinal game of the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament. Iowa, ranked No. 6, took on No. 7 seeded Michigan State in Indianapolis at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse Friday afternoon. The Hawks beat the Spartans, 87-72, advancing the Hawks to take on Maryland Saturday in the Big 10 finals.
March 22, 2021
SAN ANTONIO — As a former five-star recruit and current frontrunner for the National Freshman of the Year award, Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark has garnered mounds of national attention throughout the 2020-21 season.
One eye Clark’s play caught was that of WNBA superstar Sue Bird.
“To me, [Clark is] the most exciting player in college basketball right now,” Bird told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “I’m always like ‘Oh, Iowa’s on? Let me turn this on.’”
Sue Bird then added: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is the “must-watch (player) in the tournament. To me she’s the most exciting player in college basketball right now.” During the Big Ten tournament, “I was like, ‘Oh, Iowa’s on? Let me turn this on.'”
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) March 16, 2021
“To me, she’s the most exciting player in college basketball right now.” -Sue Bird on Caitlin Clark
That’s some high praise from the 🐐🐐🐐 for the @IowaWBB freshman. Frankly, if you haven’t watched @CaitlinClark22 and the Hawks, you’re missing out. LISTEN TO SUE BIRD. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/JAHAxR2ExZ
— Grant Becker (@GBeckTV) March 21, 2021
Bird is prepping for her 18th season in the WNBA. She was drafted by the Seattle Storm in 2002 — the same year Clark was born — and still plays for the franchise today.
“Sue Bird was one of those players that I just grew up watching,” Clark said. “I actually went and saw her play when she played against the Minnesota Lynx, so she’s somebody I grew up watching, modeling my game after, so to have somebody like her say that about my game, it means a lot.”
“I think women that watch the women’s basketball games appreciate the young players, appreciate the game more than anything,” Clark said. “So, it’s special that she said that to me, and I think that’s one of the biggest compliments that you can receive.”
This year, Clark has been frequently compared to University of Connecticut freshman Paige Bueckers, who took home Big East Player and Freshman of the Year honors this month. Bueckers is also in the running for National Freshman of the Year.
Although Bird — a UConn graduate — said Bueckers is the best player in collegiate women’s basketball, Bird thinks Clark is the most exciting player to take the court this season.
Both Bird and Clark are assist aficionados, as Bird holds the record for the most assists in WNBA history. Clark broke the Big Ten Tournament record for assists with 37 in four games and leads the nation with 202 assists through 28 games.
For Bird, however, it isn’t Clark’s passing that makes No. 22 stand out.
“[Clark] pulls up from anywhere,” Bird said on ESPN’s podcast, ESPN Daily, on Friday. “Hitting long-range threes, it’s like Jimmer Fredette vibes … and Jimmer Fredette in the tournament, that was exciting. I think she has to carry her team.”