11-Year NBA Veteran Makes Very Controversial Caitlin Clark, WNBA Statement

Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Gilbert Arenas spoke on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and her impact on the WNBA

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) against the the Los Angeles Sparks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark continues to break records in her historic rookie season. Achieving unprecedented statistical numbers on the court, Clark is also breaking records with her popularity off the court.

Numerous Fever games have set network records for WNBA viewership this season, and the same can be said for attendance. This was seen recently when Clark and the Fever took on Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.

Via Chloe Peterson of IndyStarSports on X (September 3, 2024): “INBOX: The Fever-Sky game on Friday was the most-watched ION game in network history, averaging 1.6 million viewers and peaking at 1.92 million. Indiana is a part of all of the top-5 viewed games on the network this season, which have all been over 1 million.”

INBOX: The Fever-Sky game on Friday was the most-watched ION game in network history, averaging 1.6 million viewers and peaking at 1.92 million.

Indiana is a part of all of the top-5 viewed games on the network this season, which have all been over 1 million. pic.twitter.com/ow4NJMWcV0

— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) September 3, 2024

While she is not alone in helping elevate the WNBA to these heights, the Clark effect is undeniable. Due to the magnitude of her impact, some are asking if she is the most impactful rookie in basketball history.

During a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas pushed back against the idea that Clark is more impactful than some previous basketball rookies, suggesting the WNBA’s lack of popularity prior to this season makes her impact seem greater than it is.

“You gotta remember,” Arenas said. “If [the WNBA] was an F and it’s going C… The [WNBA] was so low that a little impact seems like it’s great.”

The show co-hosts immediately jumped in and pushed back against this comment, saying Clark’s impact is not little by any metric. Responding to this, Arenas used an analogy to argue that LeBron James could have had a larger impact on the NBA than Clark has had on the WNBA, but it was not as noticeable because of where the respective leagues were at when the two players entered.

“You’re talking about an ocean,” Arenas said. “So somebody coming in an ocean, no matter how big this is it doesn’t splash… If a fat man jumps in a house pool, the water overflows. If a fat man jumps in an ocean, there’s no ripple so we don’t know how big.”

"What Caitlin Clark has done for the game is generational."

Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman spoke about Caitlin Clark's impact on the league. pic.twitter.com/JpjkB9ZaYQ

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 1, 2024

Arenas acknowledged Clark’s impact later in the segment, but continued to suggest that it cannot be compared to certain NBA stars. This is certainly another very controversial statement from Arenas, as there is a lot suggesting Clark is at or near the very top in overall impact on her respective league.

Playing 11 years in the NBA, Arenas made three All-Star and All-NBA teams. Now hosting this show, Arenas finished his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2011-12 season.

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