Analyst Claims Caitlin Clark Will Become Most Popular U.S. Athlete, Already More Famous Than All but 3 NBA Stars
Some of the most frequently treaded topics in sports, like who is or is not a superstar (for instance, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers), or which player is the greatest of all time between Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant can grow tedious quickly based on the shallow nature of those discussions and how frequently debate shows on television and radio regurgitate them when in need of content.
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But sometimes discussions about popularity and fame can find compelling lanes to occupy, such as when debating where a female athlete like Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark stacks up in the pantheon of professional sports figures in the United States.
Fox Sports analysts Colin Cowherd, of "The Herd" and Nick Wright of "First Things First" delved into that conversation on Wednesday, June 18. The two came out of the discussion agreeing that Clark is already in the upper echelon of all athletes -- male and female -- across all of American sports and that she could potentially elevate to No. 1 on that list in a few years time, once a small handful of players who outrank her in that regard retire.
"I've decided that [Clark's] star can't be up high enough," Wright said during a guest appearance on Cowherd's show. "Once Steph [Curry] and LeBron [James] retire, will there be an active American athlete, that's not a quarterback, that's more famous than her?"
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"No," Cowherd responded. "No, there won't."
"I think she will be more famous than every baseball player -- she might already be, in this country -- every hockey player, all of the U.S. Men's National [Soccer] Team and every football player that isn't really Patrick Mahomes and maybe Lamar [Jackson], Josh [Allen] -- like, there's only a few," Wright continued. "And I think she's already more famous than every NBA player but [Kevin Durant], Steph and LeBron. And I don't see any of those [other] guys catching her. I think she is a supernova of fame and talent."
"And it is not anti-Angel Reese or the WNBA to acknowledge [Clark] is the Tiger [Woods] of 20 years ago on the [PGA] Tour," Cowherd added. "The ratings disappear [when Clark is not playing]. It's nothing against the WNBA. [Clark] literally is changing the entire league economy."
Related: WNBA Announces Several Punishments for Fever-Sun Brawls Involving Caitlin Clark
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
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