Relentless NBA Community Has No Heart for Caitlin Clark as Calls Mount Against Ex-National Champion’s Bold Stance
“I [saw] him walking towards me, and it was kind of like he was walking on air. I had to pinch myself. Is that Michael? He was like Black Jesus to me.” This is how ‘The King’ LeBron James remembers first meeting his idol Michael Jordan in a Chicago gym called Hoops during the summertime back in his high school days. Surreal, is how he described it. THAT was what the GOATs did even to arguably one of the best players in the NBA today. That is how they impacted others. The rings, the wins, the persona, the reputation, sure, it all preceded them. But their impact is what left the mark and made them the true GOATs. If not ‘His Airness’, then take Magic Johnson and his rivalry with Larry Bird that added the oomph factor to the games, or Kobe Bryant who transcended the league with his Mamba Mentality, or many other icons of the sport that have written and re-written the 79-year-old history of the league. No doubt, the NBA has seen many legendary players who have changed the way the league works, leaving their ever-lasting effect that still echoes to date. Hence, when it comes to the discussion of GOATs, you can rest assured that the NBA community knows what it is talking about. But what when we also include the WNBA?
Sure, names like Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie, Maya Moore, and Sue Bird all fall under the same category, the ones who revolutionized the league, setting the foundation for the current players so they can walk, no, run. And their impact? Still everlasting. From Parker dominating the league from her rookie year itself, sweeping both MVP and ROTY honors to create a record that still stands, to Maya Moore who pulled the Minnesota Lynx from a drought and gave them their only four championships to date, WNBA too has its set of GOATs despite being five decades younger than its men’s counterpart. Another name that most will count in this list without fail is the 6x Olympic gold medalist, 3x WNBA champion, the league’s all-time leading scorer, and the White Mamba with a 20-year legacy in the WNBA– Diana Taurasi who only played with one mindset: “I never wanted to be, or talked about or worked every single day to be the best player in the world, I just tried to be the best basketball player that day.” And that’s how she became the GOAT. Their mindset, their work ethic, and of course, their titles are what set these players apart. But what if a new name comes into the conversation?
Of course, I am talking about the Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark. True, she has moved the needle to rush the sport that was moving at a slow and steady pace to make it the next big thing in the nation. Sure, she has impacted young athletes, boys and girls alike, around the world to follow their hearts and keep their confidence. And yes, she has records standing beside her name to prove the talent she’s got. In fact, Dawn Staley, the South Carolina Gamecocks coach also reversed her stance of “But it’s always, Did you win a championship?” despite winning over the iconic No. 22 as she announced after the 2024 NCAA championship, “Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game and we appreciate you.” But is it just too early to call her the GOAT of the WNBA? And the hot take: Is she already?
Retired NBA player Rashad McCants seems to think so. The former Timberwolves guard took to X yesterday to declare, “THE FACE OF THE NBA IS CAITLIN CLARK!!! Yea I said it!!!! She has handled criticism better than the people you consider THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!!! @CaitlinClark22 your the GOAT!!!” His tweet also had a photo attached of Grinch, edited using a digital pen to wear a crown.
Rashad has been a Clark supporter through and through. However, this time, he seemingly also threw some shade on the freshly retired Phoenix Mercury legend Taurasi who, even as a WNBA player, was largely considered the greatest of all time. However, he did not name names. Maybe, the criticism was rooted in the fact that the UConn alum was one of the few people to warn Caitlin about the “reality check” she was in for as she entered the professional basketball world as the first overall pick. But it can also point to other GOATs who had similar stances towards Caitlin’s success.
Interestingly, he also targeted the NBA, a league that is still debating who is the true GOAT, Jordan or Bron. Through his perspective, meanwhile, the Indiana Fever guard is repeating the Caitlin Clark Effect she had in her rookie season. On that note, McCants also tweeted his views later on the reigning league ROTY selling out tickets to the 2025 exhibition game against Brazil. His note?
“Like I said THE FACE OF THE NBA!!! This is the metric. Sold out in minutes. Preseason!!! We witness her get blitz by peers, alumni, randoms, politicians, and above all else women!! She never ran from the challenge. Accepted it and rose above it! Goat!” He had reposted a tweet by NBACentral that reported the No. 22 selling the tickets in under 40 minutes and costing more than any NBA game this season at $715.
But the question remains, is this impact enough to call her the GOAT already?
Caitlin Clark is easily one of the most sensational players to hit women’s basketball in years. From her historic numbers in college at Iowa, breaking over 46 records and becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in men’s and women’s DI, to her incredible rookie season with the Indiana Fever, she’s already making history. But the GOAT? That’s rich—and fans called it out quickly.
While she has faced criticism before highlighted by her apparent rivalry with Angel Reese, it’s difficult to say Clark was subjected to the constant pressure Taurasi and others had to endure throughout their careers. Dealing with the outside noise is part of the job of being great, but it’s not the only reason for GOAT-level status, which Clark actually agrees with.
In April 2024, she told USA Today in one of the press conferences, “I don’t want my legacy to be, ‘Oh, Caitlin won X amount of games’ or ‘Caitlin scored X amount of points.’ It’s, I hope, what I was able to do for the game of women’s basketball. I hope it is the young boys and young girls that are inspired to play this sport or dream to do whatever they want to do in their lives.” Clearly, she is not counting the trophies or the records.
But again, McCants apparently pointing fingers have left fans to quibble over greatness, seemingly taking a dig at Clark’s credentials.
Fans clash over McCants’ “GOAT” comments on Caitlin Clark
Time and again, the NBA legend has defended Caitlin’s name. In fact, even when Sheryl Swoopes first made her thoughts on Clark clear as she broke Kelsey Plum’s NCAA scoring record, he stood for her. And with her entry into the WNBA, the support has only heightened. But unsurprisingly, McCants’ tweet on GOAT didn’t sit well with fans. Many questioned his logic and pointed out inconsistencies in his criteria for greatness. One fan wrote, “How she’s the goat when she hasn’t won anything? i’m one of her biggest fans but based how you judge Tatum etc. what you giving CC a pat on the back for? you gotta be consistent Shad..😂👀”
Jayson Tatum is one of the rising stars of the NBA and he has proven his skills time and again. The 2x Olympic gold medalist even pushed his team to the world championship last year to showcase just what he can be. Still, it is all the same for Rashad. Hence, it is not wrong to ask him why he is giving Clark the GOAT status when she hasn’t won a title yet.
Another fan sarcastically added that maybe they could have this conversation if Clark wins an MVP this year. “If she wins an MVP this year then we’ll talk lol.” Interestingly, the No. 22 point guard did come close to the honor last year. In fact, she was the first rookie in the league history after Candace Parker to appear in the top-5 names for the award. Sure, it says something about her. Leading the league with 8.8 assists and breaking and creating records, and also pulling Indiana to a postseason round after 2019 did add to her case. However, the end line was that she did not win it.
Others were not as polite in blasting here. “According to your logic she hasn’t accomplished anything, what we supposed to give her a pat on the back?”
Ouch, indeed! McCants has denied giving many NBA stars the cake for not meeting his standards of what a GOAT really is. However, when it came to the second-year rookie of the WNBA, he was quick to back her up. So, one might ask just what exactly is his criteria to give one player the title and not to another?
Another X user mentioned, “So she is the face of a league that she is not a member of? Okay.” While this one did not target Clark, they did question Rashad’s words for calling her the GOAT of the NBA, a league she is not playing in. To top all, one wrote, “Google: Who is Rashad McCants?”
Tsss… Buuurn!!!
Caitlin Clark is an amazing player full of potential, but many would argue it’s way too premature to crown her as the GOAT. Although McCants might not have directly pointed to Taurasi, it’s hard not to read between the lines when he decided to call Clark “the GOAT” just days after Taurasi, who’s arguably the greatest of all time, just announced her retirement. It’s one thing to hype up Clark for her legendary start, and we are all for it, but it’s another to use that hype to stir the pot surrounding the women’s basketball legends who have already earned their stripes.
