Sue Bird reveals how Fever star Caitlin Clark found the WNBA’s ‘antidote to dunking’

Clark has figured out how to neutralize the haters.

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It’s quite clear that Caitlin Clark has gotten more eyes on the WNBA. Before, the league was widely criticized and made fun of by casual fans. Now, more and more people are tuning into games and seeing how good these women are. The Indiana Fever star has lived up to the hype and then some.

One of the common criticisms of the WNBA was the supposedly “boring” style they played. The absence of dunking and high-flying feats was a turn off for some fans. However, WNBA legend Sue Bird noted that Clark’s arrival has given these needy fans an alternative: her deep shots. Here’s what Bird had to say about the Fever star on her appearance on the podcast Good Game with Sarah Spain, by iHeartPodcasts.

“From a basketball standpoint, I think Caitlin in particular, her long distance threes. I always said this, we finally got the antidote to dunking. All we heard our entire existence was, ‘you guys are boring. You don’t dunk. Oh, maybe you should lower the rims. It would be more exciting,” Bird said.

“And the thing about the long three is it is what it is,” Bird continued. The distance is the distance, it goes in or it doesn’t. It’s the same for everybody. So in a sense, I think she (Clark) snapped people out of this trance that was very negative towards women’s basketball and now she’s brought this huge group.”

The perception towards women’s basketball has changed in the last year or so. While before you’d see a handful of comments making fun of women’s ball, this time you have more people appreciative of the sport. Sure, some people came for Clark and the Fever, but a good portion of these fans are staying due to the other women alongside Clark. It’s truly great to see.

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the first half against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center

Ironically, Clark’s shooting has been a major criticism of the Fever star this season. A 32.7% clip is not bad at all, but her pedigree as an elite shooter means that fans are expecting better from her. The signs are there: she has a pop-off game every few days. It’s all just a matter of consistency and figuring out how best to attack opposing defenses.

What’s shone the most in Clark’s rookie season is her passing prowess. Most of the offensive hype around the Fever star was around her scoring, but her passing is her second-best skill. The Fever star is still adjusting to her new teammates, but the vision and moxie is already there. In fact, Clark set the single-game assist record in the last game before the All-Star game.

Clark is set to participate in the All-Star Game alongside Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell will be playing with Team USA as part of their preparation for the Olympics. Team USA will face off against the WNBA All-Stars, where Boston and Clark will play alongside players like Angel Reese and Three-Point Contest champ Allisha Gray.