Shannon Sharpe Used Two Words to Describe Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever recently played in Game 1 of the WNBA playoffs, where they fell 93-69 to the Connecticut Sun.

Following the loss, ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe and the “First Take” panel were asked, “How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s season.”

Sharpe showed high praise for the Fever rookie, stamping her as “box office.”

The former NFL star went on a rant about Clark’s impact in her rookie season. He mentioned that many individuals are trying to minimize what Clark has done by citing the WNBA’s history and comparing her to league superstars.

Sharpe believes fans and analysts have criticized the rookie since she entered the league with high hopes and immense attention.

He said he’s not going to “let it slide” and even declared that Clark should be a unanimous Rookie of the Year and First Team All-WNBA member.

“Caitlin Clark is box office,” Sharpe said. “She’s doing this. And instead of giving her credit, y’all trying to make it about, ‘Oh, y’all poo pooing the old guard…’ Nah, I ain’t gonna let it slide.”

Clark and the Fever have drawn unprecedented numbers in the 22-year-olds’ first season in the league.

A recent report revealed that six different media networks set a record for their WNBA coverage in 2024. Caitlin Clark and the Fever were a part of the most-viewed games on ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ABC, Ion and NBATV in WNBA history.

They were able to surpass 2 million viewers on four different networks, which was unheard of in WNBA coverage before the arrival of Clark.

Clark came into the league as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft and many viewed her to be the most highly touted rookie in league history. Despite having all of the pressure to make an immediate impact in Indiana, as Sharpe mentioned, she’s been “box office” as a rookie.

The first-year star finished the regular season averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. She led all rookies in scoring and led the WNBA in average assists.

She also helped the Fever clinch the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016. Indiana finished the year with a 20-20 record, its first 20-win season since 2015