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Bill Simmons Claims Caitlin Clark Has More Star Power Than Most NBA Players

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Nov 27, 2024 1:33 PM ET

The NBA's future is in good hands with a rising crop of young stars, but Bill Simmons believes none are as big of a draw as Caitlin Clark.

Clark has taken the sports world by storm this year. After setting records during her senior year at Iowa, the point guard made the All-WNBA first team and finished fourth in the MVP voting. Clark won Rookie of the Year and led the Indiana Fever to the playoffs with 19.2 points and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game.

In the process, Clark has become one of the most famous athletes in any sport. The 22-year-old has arguably already exceeded all of her NBA contemporaries.

On his latest podcast, Simmons asked Chuck Klosterman if he thinks Clark has more star power than any NBA player under 30 years old. Klosterman instantly said yes, and The Ringer founder concurred.

"I don't even think that's a debate," Simmons said.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 07: HBO's Bill Simmons speaks onstage during "Ahead of the Curve - The Future of Sports Journalism" at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 7, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

"Her stardom, in a way, it has changed many conversations about sports," Klosterman replied. "Especially women's sports."

Simmons admitted that he's paying far more attention to women's basketball now. Based on rising attendance figures and TV ratings, the former ESPN personality likely isn't alone in that sentiment.

"I literally did not care about women's college basketball 10 years ago in any way, shape, or form," Simmons said. "So I think some things have moved toward, just the quality of play is more fun to watch. She seems to be some sort of catalyst that is like before or after, and now we're in the after."

Klosterman added that it's more "plausible" for a woman to gain popularity in college than a man. While many top male players spend one year in college -- or play professionally elsewhere -- before joining the NBA, Clark became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer and went to two straight National Championship Games during her four seasons at Iowa.

"You have this history with these women's players in college for three years," Simmons responded. "You kind of have a sense of their game. So when they come in the WNBA, you know what they can do."

While the under-30 preface eliminates LeBron James and Stephen Curry from the conversation, it leaves plenty of NBA superstars on the table. Giannis Antetokounmpo turns 30 next week, and Nikola Jokic will reach that milestone in February.

Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Victor Wembanyama look to lead a new era of NBA stars, but they haven't quite made the same seismic mark as Clark yet.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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