Caitlin Clark massively praises LeBron James after getting to meet him
Last year, Caitlin Clark took the basketball world by storm. While at the University of Iowa, she became college basketball's all-time leader in career points among both women and men, and she then had a very promising rookie season in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. In doing so, she created a huge spike in interest for the league.
On Saturday, she got her second pro season started by posting 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks and two steals as the Fever blew out Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. Before that game, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James wished her good luck in her 2025 WNBA debut game while posting a photo of him with Clark on Instagram.
After Clark's big performance, James congratulated her with a post on X (formerly Twitter).
On Monday, Clark talked to the media and commented on getting to meet James.
"I don't really get too starstruck from people ... That's one of my idols. LeBron is the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) to me," Clark said.
Clark is on a trajectory to becoming one of the true legends of basketball, and thus it should be no surprise that James has great respect for her. He has praised her in the past, but verbally and on social media, and he has also defended her from critics.
The Fever, who haven't finished with a winning record since 2015, are expected to be a legitimate championship contender this year. In addition to Clark, guard Kelsey Mitchell and forward Aliyah Boston, they added two-time All-Star forward Natasha Howard and six-time All-Star wing DeWanna Bonner this offseason.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
8 Navy All-Americans Named to Maxwell Award Watch List
The Maxwell Football Club released the watchlist for the annual Maxwell Award, presented annually to the outstanding player in college football. 8 former Navy All-Americans were named to the watch list. QB Drew Allar (Penn State) RB Nate Frazier (Georgia) RB Nicholas Singleton (Penn State) RB Justice Haynes (Michigan) WR Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) QB Cade Klubnik (Clemson) QB Demond Williams Jr. (Washington) QB Eli Holstein (Pittsburgh) Only 100 football players receive the honor of wearing the Navy All-American Bowl jersey each year. The 2026 Navy All-American Bowl from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, will be presented live on NBC and Peacock. About the All-American Bowl As an NBC Sports-owned property, the All-American Bowl is part of a marquee lineup of elite events that includes the Olympics and Paralympics, the Premier League, and primetime's #1 show for an unprecedented 13 consecutive years: Sunday Night Football. The All-American Bowl is annually the most-watched, most-talked about, and most-prestigious high school all-star event with more than four million unique television viewers and more than 25,000 fans in attendance. The history and tradition of the All-American Bowl is unparalleled, as it features: 631 draft picks; 103 Super Bowl champions; 274 Pro Bowl selections; and 18 Heisman finalists. For more information, visit or follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram (@AABonNBC).
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Big Dumper's big year: Cal Raleigh's 'staggering' season leads an offensive surge by MLB catchers
Seattle's Cal Raleigh — better known by the catchy nickname 'Big Dumper' — has lived up to the moniker, dropping baseball into the outfield seats all over the big leagues this season. Manager Dan Wilson has been in awe of his talents. 'That's what you get from Cal," Wilson said. 'Night in, night out, blocking balls, calling the game, leading a pitching staff, throwing runners out — that's what Cal does and he does it very well.' Oh ... wait a second. Wilson obviously wasn't taking about Raleigh's prodigious power — he's talking about how the 28-year-old handles the most demanding defensive position on the baseball field: Catcher. Raleigh has smashed 42 homers this season, putting him on pace for 60, with a chance to catch Aaron Judge's American League record of 62. That would be fun to watch under any circumstance. The fact that the All-Star and Home Run Derby champion is also responsible for guiding the Mariners' pitching staff on most nights makes it even more impressive. Seattle is currently in the thick of the American League playoff race with a 60-53 record, and the Mariners are relying on Raleigh's bat and his brain to try and make the playoffs for just the third time since 2001. There's the mental side of the job — meetings, film study, calling pitches — but there's also the wear and tear of the physical side. The 2024 Gold Glove winner is also squatting, handling the run game, taking painful foul tips off all parts of his body, putting his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame through the ringer four or five nights a week. All while hitting those homers. Catching is demanding and can wear on power hitters The fact that it took Raleigh a few years in the big leagues to emerge as a true superstar — this is his fourth full season with the Mariners — isn't surprising. The learning curve for young catchers can be severe and the defensive part of the job takes precedence. There's a long list of backstops who couldn't hit a lick yet carved out long MLB careers. Raleigh is a man of many talents and his power was always evident. He hit 27 homers in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 34 last season. Now he's on pace for 50 long balls and maybe more. There are only five other players in big league history who have hit at least 40 homers while primarily playing catcher: Salvador Perez, Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers. It's evidence of a player at the top of his game — and one who has come through plenty of experience. 'I don't think I'm trying any harder or doing any more than I have in the past,' Raleigh said. 'Maybe a little more focused on the right things, and not constantly trying to tweak or change something that I have been in the past. So, I think that's been the biggest part to the success, and just trying to keep that consistent and steady.' Wilson was more direct, putting into perspective what Raleigh has accomplished through the first four months of the season. 'It's pretty staggering,' Wilson said. Raleigh's big numbers are part of an offensive surge for MLB catchers: Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O'Hoppe, Shea Langeliers, Alejandro Kirk, Salvador Perez and William Contreras are among roughly a dozen at the position who are more than holding their own at the plate. Veteran catcher Carson Kelly is on pace to have his best offensive season in the big leagues at 31, batting .272 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs. He's been in the big leagues for 10 years and said the balance between offense and defense is tough for young players. 'It's almost like you're drinking from a firehose with how much information you have,' Kelly said. 'And I think, as you see catchers, as the years go on, you get smarter. 'You get smarter in your routines. and you're able to focus on the little details,' he continued. 'When you get called up as a young guy, there's so much going on. And as the years go by and as the days go by, you get more comfortable. 'OK, I know this, I know that, how do I really funnel this down into a couple points?' "I think that's, you know, when you see catchers kind of take off.' Some adjustments are helping catchers stay fresh One major factor for the increased offensive production for catchers could be the one-knee down defensive stance that's been adopted by nearly every MLB catcher over the past five years. The argument for the stance is its helpful for defensive reasons, including framing pitches on the corners. But there's also the added benefit that it's a little easier on the knees than squatting a couple hundred times per game. 'A hundred percent," said Goodman, the Rockies primary catcher who is hitting .279 with 20 homers. 'You think about back in the day when everybody was squatting … being in a squat for that long can be can be hard on your legs. Getting on a knee gives your legs a little bit of rest for sure.' Statistical trends suggest he has a point. Catchers have accounted for 12.2% of all MLB homers this season, making a slow climb from 10% in 2018. Raleigh's been the best of the bunch and fans — along with his catching peers — are noticing. 'It just seems like on both sides of the ball, when he's behind the plate he's really focused on his pitchers and calling a good game and all the things that a catching position entails, and then when he comes up to the plate, he can do damage," Kelly said. ___ AP Baseball Writers Mike Fitzpatrick and Jay Cohen, along with AP freelancer Jack Magruder, contributed to this story. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trans darts champion laments ban against trans women as 'loss for the trans community'
Dutch transgender darts champion Noa-Lynn van Leuven has denounced the World Darts Federation's recent decision to ban trans women from the women's category. The 28-year-old acknowledged the international governing body's new gender eligibility policy in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday, noting that "this decision does affect me personally — though, thankfully, not too severely at this point in time. But still, it hurts." "Once again, it's a loss for the trans community in sports. And that breaks my heart," van Leuven wrote. "As a trans person in the darts world, I know how vital inclusion is — not just on paper, but in practice. It's disheartening to see yet another policy framed around 'fairness' that ultimately results in exclusion, without truly considering the people behind the labels." Noa-Lynn van Leuven on Instagram: "This past Monday, the WDF (World Darts Federation) released a new policy regarding gender eligibility. I want to take a moment to respond. This decision does affect me personally — though, thankfully, not too severely at this point in time. But still, it hurts. Once again, it's a loss for the trans community in sports. And that breaks my heart. As a trans person in the darts world, I know how vital inclusion is — not just on paper, but in practice. It's disheartening to see yet another policy framed around 'fairness' that ultimately results in exclusion, without truly considering the people behind the labels. My heart goes out to all the athletes impacted by this. We remain visible. We keep going. 🏳️⚧️❤️ #transrightsarehumanrights #darts #inclusivesport #wdf #transinclusion #sportforall" The WDF officially released the new policy last Monday, creating a "female" category designated "for those participants recorded female at birth, and within definition of female under this policy, which includes females who wish to transition to men, but not undergoing hormone treatment." Trans women and trans men who are on hormone replacement therapy are instead allowed to compete in a separate but equal open category. The organization claimed to implement the rule for "equal opportunity." Darts, like pool, fishing, dancing, and chess, is an activity where gender offers no competitive advantage, yet all have still implemented bans against trans competitors. A comprehensive review of several studies on trans participation in sports under their gender identity also found that trans athletes, post transition, are "more similar to their gender identity." It noted that both transgender and cisgender athletes show great variations in ability. Van Leuven, who has won several titles in both the women's and open category, has been prohibited from competing in WDF events since September, when the federation's members first voted to implement the ban. She spoke out against the rule at the time, saying that she and other trans athletes were being "cancelled." Van Leuven has been competing in Professional Darts Corporation events. "My heart goes out to all the athletes impacted by this," she continued. "We remain visible. We keep going." This article originally appeared on Advocate: Trans darts champion laments ban against trans women as 'loss for the trans community' RELATED Democrats defeat Republican transgender sports ban bill in U.S. Senate What does the science say about transgender women in sports? I responded to a moderate's anti-trans sports views. Here's what happened
