Knicks Star Addresses WNBA, Caitlin Clark Situation

Former New York Knick and Sixth Man extraordinaire Jamal Crawford has sounded off on the polarizing narrartives of the women’s game.

The WNBA is enjoying an unprecedented surge in popularity thanks in part to a rookie class headlined by top pick Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. In the midst of the growth, however, is an evolving debate around the physicality of the game, particularly when it comes to the treatment of Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball history. Tensions boiled over on Saturday, when Clark was shoulder-checked by Chicago Sky reserve Chennedy Clark before the ball was inbounded.

Crawford declared on Keyshawn Johnson’s “All Facts No Brakes” that the adversity and supposed targeting Clark is facing on her maiden professional voyages will only come to help her in the long run. The four-year Knick (2004-08) remarked that he himself was responsible for some Welcome to the NBA-style moments, speaking of a contentious but ultimately fruitful and competitive relationship with touted entrant Brandon Roy.

“When you’re a rookie and somebody sees you coming up, they trying to stop that,” Crawford said, noting that Johnson himself faced a similar situation as the top pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. “It’s not a personal thing, but it’s like a me thing. ‘I’m going to show you. You’re getting all the light right now, and it’s great for the league, but I’m gonna show you it’s not gonna be easy. You’re gonna have to earn it and come take it.’”

Though Clark took home the WNBA’s first Rookie of the Month award this season, she has undeniably struggled in the early going: though her first 11 games, Clark is shooting less than 36 percent from the field, including a 1-of-10 output in Sunday night’s loss to the New York Liberty. To her credit, she did put up her first 30-point out last week in a narrower loss to Los Angeles, pairing the magic number with six assists and five rebounds.

Crawford, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, also offered his two cents to the W discourse as a whole, endorsing the current state of women’s basketball, which he feels has surpassed the men’s equivalent on the amateur level.

“I think it has everybody talking about the W, and I enjoy watching the W,” Crawford said on the Fox Sports program. “I don’t think I watched one college game on the men’s side last year in the tournament. I watched the women’s side because I’m coaching kids, and the style they play is more conducive about what I’m trying to teach these young kids going forward.”

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