Women's Fastbreak On SI

Lisa Leslie Laughs at Caitlin Clark Doubters After Career High

WNBA legend Lisa Leslie had a laugh after Caitlin Clark proved her right once again on Sunday.

Grant Young

Aug 11, 2024; Paris, France; Lisa Leslie looks on before the women's gold medal game between France and the United States during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Aug 11, 2024; Paris, France; Lisa Leslie looks on before the women's gold medal game between France and the United States during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark has broken what feels like endless records during her first rookie season in the WNBA. Earlier this week, the 22-year-old set the WNBA record for most assists in a season. She added eight more assists to that tally during the Fever's 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings on Sunday, while also scoring 35 points, which is a new personal record for her.

Women's basketball legend Lisa Leslie (who is a two-time WNBA Champion, two-time WNBA Finals MVP, three-time WNBA MVP, eight-time All-Star, and eight-time All-WNBA First Team honoree) has been an outspoken advocate for Clark throughout this season.

Back in August, she gave the former Iowa Hawkeye her flowers for setting the record for most three-pointers made by a WNBA rookie.

And Leslie showed Clark more love on Sunday after the rookie's new career-high in points scored — while also adding a jab at those who've doubted Clark to this point.

Leslie commented on an Instagram post from @espnw that showcased Clark's scoring achievement, writing, "Now I’m just laughing at all the folks who thought it was going to take her some time to adjust😂😂😂😂😂 I told ya’ll!"

And Leslie has indeed been singing Clark's praises for some time. Back in March 2023, she said that Clark reminded her of a combination of legendary players Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird when speaking with those two WNBA icons during a broadcast of the NCAA Final Four, and also called Clark a game-changer.

It's cool to see such a respected person in the sport being so eager to praise this rookie class.

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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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