Aug 17, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; Power head coach Nancy Lieberman during the game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Nancy Lieberman Shuts Down Caitlin Clark Critics With 5-Word Message

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 12:19 PM ET

Women's basketball icon Nancy Lieberman has been one of Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark's biggest supporters throughout Clark's career, especially during her first two seasons in the WNBA.

A recent example of this is when Lieberman (who is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame) called former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague out for comments he made about No. 22.

“I’ve been saying [the Fever don't need Clark]... She’s good, but she’s not that good. I said [Kelsey Mitchell] was the best player on the team. Bro, she's the best player on the team... They ain't shooting no wild a** threes [with Clark sidelined]," Teague said during a July 28 episode of the Club 520 Podcast.

This prompted a response from Lieberman during a recent appearance on the Big3 Podcast, where she said, "I don't agree with Jeff Teague, who I read something today that said, you know, 'Caitlin Clark, well she's just a good player. She's not a great player'... She is great."

Nancy Lieberman Shares Strong Caitlin Clark Stance

Lieberman was a guest on an August 29 episode of the TFU (That's F***** Up) Podcast and shared another powerful message about Clark's greatness.

"Everybody had a hand, 28, 29 years later, in the growth of women's basketball. But what Caitlin did in college, she got you watching. She got the average person watching. She got mom and grandma watching. And she's doing, economically, what Tiger Woods did for golf. He changed the attendance, he changed the ratings, he changed the purses." Lieberman said.

"I don't know, were a lot of guys jealous of him? I'm sure... Michael Jordan, 1984, when he came into the league, Bird and Magic were turning the corner, and MJ just flipped it on its head," Lieberman added. "The league put his games on national TV all the time, like they're doing with Caitlin Clark."

"It's okay to be great," she continued of Clark. "It really is. She is a great player. I know she has had injuries this year. Larry Bird had injuries, Michael [Jordan] had injuries, I had injuries. Tiger Woods had injuries. But it can't take away from what she has done economically."

Nancy Lieberman on Caitlin Clark's impact:"I did my job. Taurasi did her job. Bird, Catchings...everybody had a hand..in the growth of women's basketball. But what Caitlin did in college, she got you watching. She got the average person watching." pic.twitter.com/utnmdRWs9i
— lo (@caitscroptop) August 30, 2025

Lieberman saying that "It's okay to be great" regarding Clark speaks volumes and will hopefully resonate with anybody who has tried to criticize No. 22's fame and success to this point in her career.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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