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Dick Vitale Did Not Hold Back With Thoughts On Caitlin Clark

NCAA broadcasting legend Dick Vitale made his opinion of Fever rookie Caitlin Clark extremely clear.

Grant Young

Nov 15, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Dick Vitale steps onto the court before the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Kentucky Wildcats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Nov 15, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Dick Vitale steps onto the court before the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Kentucky Wildcats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Even before her game against the Los Angeles Sparks later today, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has quite an impressive Wednesday.

It was announced earlier today that Clark won the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for August after averaging 24 points, 8.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game in six games.

This success also made the 22-year-old an obvious choice for WNBA Rookie of the Month, which was also announced on Wednesday.

And it hasn't just been individual success Clark has procured. Her Fever squad (who are 6-1 in their last 7 games) also clinched the 2024 WNBA playoffs after the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream both lost last night, cementing Indiana's first playoff appearance since 2016.

Clark has lived up to the hype people have set upon her since her days at the University of Iowa. And NCAA legend Dick Vitale showed her praise for it over X on Wednesday.

"Just amazing the achievement of the @IndianaFever to be playoff bound in the @WNBA after starting 1-8 .Yes @CaitlinClark22 who faced scrutiny-pressure responded in a positive manner despite the petty jealousy she had to deal with .She’s the BEST thing ever to hit the WNBA!" Vitale wrote.

Vitale is a legendary NCAA basketball broadcaster who underwent successful surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes at the end of June. This was his fourth battle with cancer ever since being first diagnosed with melanoma in 2021.

Vitale also posted on X Wednesday that he just finished his 17th radiation treatment, while still having 13 more to go.

While the basketball icon has persevered through a few rocky years, he has been able to glean joy from Clark's incredible journey to this point in her iconic basketball career.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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