The WNBA season is in full swing as the 2024 rookie class faces some wear and tear against the veterans of the league. Rookie star Caitlin Clark’s unprecedented rise to fame has allegedly prompted physical retaliation from the senior players of the league. That has been the opinion of many fans and analysts. However, Kevin Garnett finds nothing wrong with the situation that Clark is facing.
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On the contrary, KG declared that the hard fouling on the likes of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese is a sign of respect from their peers. During a recent NBA Finals special of “Ticket and The Truth”, 2008 NBA Champions Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce dived into the incident that saw Clark take the floor after a shove from the back from Chennedy Carter during the recent Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever contest.
Garnett argued that a rookie in the NBA or the WNBA is constantly tested by their peers in their first year, and any “extra” physical contact is just a sign that the senior players respect you and are somewhat wary of your presence.
Elaborating further, Garnett said, “When you’re IT, when you got the Bullseye on the back…Yeah when you IT, it’s going to come with some sh*t. Yeah, ain’t nobody hitting y’all with the step back in the high, yeah it’s a compliment, yeah you fear. It’s a sign of respect when ni*as start doing this bullsh*t.”
Subsequently, Garnett crowned Clark as the future of the WNBA, even claiming that she is a better shooter/player than the WNBA’s best shooter, Sabrina Ionescu. In fact, Garnett was so confident in Clark’s ability as a shooter that he wanted the 22-year-old rookie to go toe-to-toe with the game’s best shooter, Stephen Curry.
Talking about the possible matchup, Garnett said, “Guess what I am waiting on. I’m waiting on that shootout, the Ionescu-Caitlin Clark shootout…I want to see her (Caitlin Clark) and Steph Shoot, bro. It should be them three shooting it off.”
The duo of Pierce and Garnett even suggested that the league should hold a two-round shooting competition during next year’s All-Star Weekend, with players from both the NBA and the WNBA competing. They named Stephen Curry, Sabrina Ionescu, Caitlin Clark, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson as some of the possible candidates for the event.
The 2025 All-Star game could host a special 2v2 competition between the NBA and the WNBA
Sabrina Ionescu faced off against Stephen Curry for a three-point contest during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend. Curry and Ionescu’s 3-point competition grabbed eyeballs across the world, and if reports are to be believed, they are set to face each other again this year, along with two other superstars.
The Athletic’s Sham’s Charania touched on the possibility of a 2v2 contest back in April while making an appearance on ‘The Run It Back’ podcast. Talking about the possibility of the competition actually taking place, the veteran reporter said,
“At this point, Stephen Curry versus Sabrina Ionescu is very likely for next year…I’m told with Caitlin Clark and potentially Klay Thompson to make it 2v2.”
“At this point Stephen Curry versus Sabrina Ionescu is very likely for next year…I’m told with Caitlin Clark and potentially Klay Thompson to make it 2v2.”@ShamsCharania updates on next years #NBA All Star
: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/TNprQELkIV— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 2, 2024
Charania further revealed that due to the All-Star Weekend taking place in the Bay Area this time around, Warriors fans will likely be treated to a repeat of last year’s 3-point contest between Steph and Sabrina. Curry has reportedly also asked for his running mate and Warriors sharpshooter, Klay Thompson, to be included in the competition.
Damian Lillard’s name also came up as a possible replacement for Thompson.
