One of the most popular talking points during last year’s NBA season was who the next great superstar of the league will be to take the torch from the generation of LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. But maybe it isn’t even an NBA superstar to do so… maybe it’s Caitlin Clark.
Those three superstars are still playing at a very high level and just won the United States another gold medal in thrilling fashion at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But so far, the NBA hasn’t really seen anyone rise up and take hold of that mantle.
Is it Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown? Anthony Edwards? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Victor Wembanyama? All of them are incredible players but none as of yet has been able to break out from the pack.
Enter Caitlin Clark.
Over at The Ringer, Bill Simmons and Chuck Klosterman agreed that Clark is a bigger star than any under-30 player currently in the NBA in an absolute no-doubt argument. And while it might sound like a bold statement (after all Giannis Antetokounmpo is 29), Clark moves the needle like no other athlete since Tiger Woods for their sport. Mike Breen even compared her impact to Michael Jordan. So maybe it’s not too far fetched.
Is Caitlin Clark a bigger under-30 star than any under-30 star currently in the NBA?@BillSimmons @CKlosterman pic.twitter.com/jBGuX4IHSH
— The Ringer (@ringer) November 27, 2024
“Her stardom in a way has changed many conversations about sports, I feel like, especially women’s sports,” Klosterman said.
“I literally did not care about women’s college basketball 10 years ago in any way, shape, or form. So I think some things have moved towards, just the quality of play is more fun to watch. She seems to be some sort of catalyst that is like before or after and now we’re in the after,” Simmons responded.
“Part of it is it’s real difficult now for a guy to become famous in basketball at the collegiate level, it still seems very plausible for a woman,” Klosterman remarked.
“You have this history of these women’s players in college for three years, kind of have a sense of their game. So when they come in the WNBA you know what they can do,” Simmons added.
While Clark is the unquestioned top draw in the WNBA, who that person going to be for the NBA remains to be seen. With ratings down in the early parts of the season and criticism about the league’s style of play getting louder, things may seem bleak. One of the issues might just be that LeBron James is still playing at such an absurd caliber in his 22nd season that he still commands a ton of oxygen and attention in a media environment that is geared more towards established names than trying to establish up and comers.
Compare that to Caitlin Clark’s celebrity status and it goes without saying that way more casual fans or folks in the general population know who she is compared to Anthony Edwards. But the NBA always has a way of working itself out when it comes to its next big superstar. Magic and Bird led to MJ who led to Shaq and Kobe who led to LeBron and Steph. The next passing of the torch will come in due course. But right now it’s all about Caitlin Clark as a once in a generation athlete. She’s going to have her own torch shining brightly for years to come.
