Caitlin Clark’s appearance on David Letterman’s show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, is a must-watch. The episode went viral after Clark detailed a legendary, never-before-seen scrimmage between her and the Iowa men’s practice squad. And also for how the WNBA superstar defended Tom Brady while talking about retirement.
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But isn’t it a tad too early for Clark to mull retirement? At 23 years of age, the Indiana Fever point guard, who is already a WNBA star, is possibly awaiting her peak. But then, she did give it a thought, and spoke about the impact she wanted to leave behind on the game of basketball.
Caitlin wants to be up there with the likes of LeBron James in terms of longevity and greatness. She then pondered on some possible and interesting post-retirement plans.
“I think I’ll always be involved in sports because that’s what I love,” Clark stated. “I think once I’m done playing professional basketball, hopefully I have a long career. But I’m not going to want to still be on the sidelines, probably. Maybe I’ll be up in a suite, like a general manager or something fun like that, I don’t know.”
Being involved in the game in a different capacity would make sense for Clark, given how passionate she is about the game. Many men’s and women’s basketball players have tried to get into a front office role after their playing careers. Some have succeeded, while others have failed.
Clark’s response reminded Letterman of a legend from a different sport and what he’s been up to since retiring.
“This brings to mind Tom Brady,” Letterman said. “Now, he’s doing color for FOX on NFL games. And you think, ‘No, Tom’. I mean… And by the way, he’s pretty good. But let’s set our sights a little higher, maybe.”
The remarks from Letterman came off as a bit harsh. His words conveyed the impression that being a commentator for the NFL isn’t a well-respected job.
On the contrary, it is one of the most respected jobs in all of sports. Being a sports commentator requires deep knowledge of the game and strong communication skills.
Letterman could feel like what he said wasn’t vibing with the crowd, so he asked if he was wrong. Then, Clark came to Brady’s defense.
“Well, that paycheck he’s getting is pretty nice,” Clark pointed out. “He owns the [Las Vegas] Raiders, that’s not too bad. He’s just doing it all.”
Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract to be the lead color commentator for FOX Sports. It made him the highest-paid broadcaster ever. He then parlayed that into becoming a part-time owner of the Raiders this past year. Like Clark said, he really is doing it all.
Letterman then went on to say he doesn’t think that Brady is strapped for cash, so he’s not too impressed by his new paycheck.
Regardless, his sentiments couldn’t have been more wrong in this exchange. And Clark took him to school with her knowledge of the GOAT.
