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11-Year NBA Veteran Makes Very Controversial Caitlin Clark Statement

Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Gilbert Arenas spoke on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and UConn guard Paige Bueckers

Joey Linn

Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the women's 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the women's 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has lived up to the hype in her rookie season. Selected first overall in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark entered the league with massive expectations, and has exceeded them in many ways.

Indiana fell to the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday, snapping their two-game winning streak, but it was another impressive showing for Clark.

Finishing with 23 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, Clark bolstered her season averages that have never been recorded before in WNBA history. Becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to 500 points and 200 assists, Clark made history again in this game.

During a recent episode of Gil's Arena, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas made a very controversial statement on Clark, saying she is not a better player than UConn guard Paige Bueckers.

Asking what the Fever would have done had Bueckers been in the 2024 WNBA draft, Arenas received a unanimous answer from his co-hosts that they would have still taken Clark.

"Because of the hype?" Arenas asked when his co-hosts said Indiana would have still selected Caitlin.

When the crew responded that Clark is the better player, Arenas said, "No she's not. A better player?"

Bueckers is fantastic, and coming off a collegiate season in which she won numerous awards, but this is an incredibly controversial statement from Arenas given how Clark has performed in the WNBA.

Even if Arenas was speaking only on the 2023-24 collegiate season, Clark's numbers were historic, which would have made her the clear-cut first overall pick even if Bueckers was in the draft.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Arenas made three All-Star and All-NBA teams before finishing his career with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2011-12 season.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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