Call me lazy and/or a product of my generation that is supposedly ruining America/the planet, but why bother writing a proper introduction to this article when a meme is worth a thousand words?
Heartbreaking: The worst person you know just made a great point https://t.co/PgJ9dvyE10 pic.twitter.com/t1zV2E9iWC
— ClickHole (@ClickHole) 5 February 2018
To be clear, I have not met Kevin Garnett. I cannot confirm that he is the worst person I know because I don’t know him. I have no real grudge against him, aside from his annoying antics as an NBA player. I rooted passionately against him during his heyday with the Boston Celtics as a LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers fan. I “hate” Kevin Garnett for sports reasons. I don’t hate him in reality. It would be cool to meet a 15-time All-Star, NBA MVP and Champion, and Hall of Famer.
Let’s steer the ship back towards Caitlin Clark, whose hilarious Olympic rejection in a miserable American backcourt game and a nerve-racking One-point victory over France and the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris. It didn’t have to be so exciting. Clark’s presence would have made everything much easier. Unfortunately, the strange energy that permeates women’s basketball culture kept her from being selected for the USA team.
After another exceptional performance from Clark – 29 points, five rebounds and 10 assists in the Indiana Fever’s 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night – KG realized that in the bigger picture of her rookie season, the Olympic break might have been the best thing that could have happened to the WNBA’s biggest star.
What if @CaitlinClark22The Olympic break was the league’s off-season adjustment, which @wnba Rookies don’t get out until their 1st season… yesterday the shit looked crazy out there…💯
You can see that she was in the film room…
– Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) 17 August 2024
By “biggest star,” I don’t necessarily mean that Clark is the best player in the league, but it’s hard to deny that she’s already at least in the top 10. Her star status has proven to be a blockbuster for the Fever and the WNBA as a whole.
New day, new achievements for Caitlin Clark 👏#WelcometoW pic.twitter.com/hw85i4jbcT
— WNBA (@WNBA) 17 August 2024
So far this season, the Indiana Fever have experienced the following:
• Jersey sales increased by 1193%
• Total number of visitors increased by 264.6%
• League high of 38 games on national television
• League-highest number of 1.8 million followers on social media
• 225% more corporate partnerships
• Largest number of team sponsors in the WNBA pic.twitter.com/iRxXd1gH3o— Front Office Sports (@FOS) 16 August 2024
No one in the history of women’s basketball has ever been as hyped as Clark. In a matter of weeks, she went from a second-place finish in Iowa straight to the WNBA Draft and her first professional season. Some initial struggles on a team that had been drafted number one two years in a row meant she drew all the critics. After that slight turbulence, she more than delivered, putting Indiana in prime position for a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, aging legend Diana Taurasi was on the Olympic roster, converted just two of her 12 shots from the field, and didn’t play a minute in that gold medal game against France. Their pre-draft version of Clark is also aging poorly, as the Fever are 3-0 against Taurasi’s Mercury team this season.
“Reality catches up with you… you seem superhuman when you’re playing against 18-year-olds, but you’ll be playing against grown women.”
Diana Taurasi has not yet beaten Caitlin Clark this year with Team USA or the Phoenix Mercury.
The reality is harsh.pic.twitter.com/81UFn2jlGe
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) 17 August 2024
KG may have hit on something here. Clark seems to have put her Olympic break to good use. And I also noticed this: When the 2028 Summer Games return to the USA in Los Angeles, Clark will make her debut for Team USA – and the celebrations will be all the greater because it will be her first Olympic Games. It’s all going quite well.
