Lisa Leslie Calls Out Criticism of Caitlin Clark and Fever National TV Coverage
Ever since it was announced that the Indiana Fever were having 41 of their 44 WNBA regular season games broadcast on national TV this upcoming season (which is a WNBA record), there has been ongoing discussion about whether this is deserved, considering that the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty have nearly 10 less nationally televised games.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier discussed this during a March 24 appearance on ESPN's First Take by saying, "Obviously, people want to watch Caitlin [Clark] play, and so you have to put people on TV that people want to see. But at the same time... to not have the defending champs on TV more, I think it's kind of crazy."
She later added, "I don't think raising the level of the other teams has to mean bringing down Caitlin or the Indiana Fever. They should have those amount of games on TV, on primetime, but I think other teams should also have more than what they have."
Napheesa Collier weighs in on whether the Indiana Fever should have 41 games Nationally Televised. pic.twitter.com/fb6DpDJ1FI
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) March 25, 2025
Basketball legend Lisa Leslie set the record straight with her sentiment on this hot-button topic, which was conveyed in a March 27 article from USA Today.
"It’s all about money, marketing, and we cannot deny what Caitlin Clark has done for the women’s game," Leslie said in the article. "Why would we feel some type of way that she has more television games?... I don’t know what the big deal is of the fact that Caitlin is getting a lot of love. She deserves that and she’s helped change this game.
"I think we have to understand that when one player eats, we’re all eating and we all get more opportunities. It just opens it up for everyone else," she added. "I love that she’s not the player that makes it all about her. She’s given love and homage to the players that have come before her. She shares the wealth with her teammates and she doesn’t have to do that."
The two-time WNBA champion and three-time league MVP concluded her stance by saying, "Listen, Caitlin I’m so grateful for her. I’m thankful for all these women and where this game is and we need to step back and see the big picture of how it’s impacting all of us."
lisa leslie 🫡 pic.twitter.com/FCSi7zK0Mp
— ۟ (@aclassyteaparty) March 28, 2025
Props to Leslie for always being willing to voice her opinion on these polarizing topics.
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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.