Caitlin Clark responds to Tom Brady’s thinly-veiled WNBA dig in the only way she can
After former NFL quarterback Tom Brady took a thinly-veiled swipe at Caitlin Clark earlier in the week, the Indiana Fever guard clapped back with a record-breaking performance
Caitlin Clark let her play on the court do the talking after Tom Brady took an unsubtle swipe at the Indiana Fever rookie.
On Friday, Clark made history in the Fever’s 78-74 loss to the Las Vegas Aces by recording the most assists in a single season with 321 (and counting). Alyssa Thomas was the previous record holder, dishing out 316 dimes last year over 40 games.
Just two days prior, the WNBA witnessed another one of its records get broken after A’ja Wilson broke the league’s single-season points record. The Aces center actively sits at 971 on the year – edging out Jewell Loyd’s 939 points from a season prior.
Taking to social media on the heels of Wilson’s record-breaking performance Wednesday night, Brady – who owns a minority share of the Aces – offered the 28-year-old her due praise. “There are so many incredible players in the @WNBA right now,” he wrote. “But there’s only one @_ajawilson22.”
Without naming names, it appeared as though Brady was placing Clark in just the “incredible players” category, insinuating that she has a ways to go before reaching the same level of dominance as Wilson. Much of the discourse surrounding the WNBA this year has centered around the 22-year-old and fellow rookie standout Angel Reese – all while the Aces star is quietly running away with the league’s MVP award.
Entering play Friday, Wilson led the WNBA in points (27.3) and blocks (2.7) per game, while additionally ranking second in rebounds (11.9) and steals (1.9). Clark, meanwhile, led the league in assists (8.4) while also leading all rookies in points (19.1) and steals (1.3).
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Yet when the pair faced off Friday night at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it was Clark who turned in the better performance. After a horrid first half in which she didn’t record a single point and shot 0-for-5 from the field, the Fever star recorded 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the second to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. As for Wilson, she finished the night with 17 rebounds, 15 points, one assist and – of course the win.
Regardless, it appears as though the phenom duo have nothing but respect for one another. Ahead of Wednesday’s faceoff against Wilson, Clark heaped praise on her opponent. “You watch her and it’s just unguardable,” she began.
“There’s nothing anybody can do to stop it. She’s just that dominant, whether it’s her mid-range game, she can put it on the floor, she’s just so athletic, but also she affects the game on both ends.
“Like, she’s a really great defensive player, great rim protector, just so athletic. And obviously she’s been able to shoot the three pretty well this year too. It’s fun to watch. Everybody in the league knows you can’t guard it, you basically just live with what she’s going to do to you every single night. You contain it as best you can.”