Victor Wembanyama Makes His Opinion of Caitlin Clark Very Clear
Very few players in the history of professional basketball have had as high of expectations as Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.
After Clark set the college basketball world on fire during her four years at the University of Iowa — which included her becoming the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, regardless of gender — she was considered a can't miss, generational talent for whichever WNBA team that would land her in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
That team ended up being the Indiana Fever. And while Clark's talent was undeniable, the massive expectations that were placed on her as a rookie were hard for almost everyone to imagine.
However, if there's anybody who can imagine what those expectations were like, it's San Antonio Spurs standout Victor Wembanyama.
Like Clark, "Wemby" was considered a generational talent — many deemed him the best NBA prospect since LeBron James — and he ultimately became the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.
He proved during his rookie year that the hype was real, and received a lot of praise for it. And now Wembanyama is praising Clark after she won WNBA Rookie of the Year.
"I think Caitlin Clark," Wembanyama said when asked who a WNBA player is that inspires him, per an X post from the San Antonio Spurs. "When she was in college, [she was] the only college player that I was really in awe of their game, you know.
"I'm saying men and women's college basketball, she's probably the most impressive I've seen," he added of Clark.
and @wemby with the shoutout for @CaitlinClark22 👏 pic.twitter.com/xzaX6tRd8Q
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 4, 2024
That's extremely high praise from one generational-type talent to another.
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.