We’re still months away from the 2025 WNBA season beginning, but one of the league’s biggest stars is still top of mind.
Caitlin Clark has been celebrated as one of last year’s rookies who helped inject new energy into fans’ interest in the W. Another way that happened was when Sabrina Ionescu participated in an NBA 3-Point contest against Steph Curry, which was an immediate success.
However, Clark’s now been invited to do the same this year, but she turned it down because she wants her first 3-point contest to be in the WNBA. So now, cohosts Rodney Rikai and Samaria Terry debate whether she’s making the right decision.
“I think it’s commendable because we already know the NBA All-Star game is going to get all of these people watching,” says Terry. “If she’s able to give Steph Curry or LaMelo Ball to come and compete against her in the WNNA All-Star game, it’s going to be huge.”
Rikai argues there aren’t enough eyes on the WNBA yet for Clark to feel that way. Therefore, it makes more sense for her to compete in the NBA contest and eventually transfer that energy and hype to her league.
The hosts also discuss the drama-filled season Jimmy Butler has been entrenched in as he fights for a trade from the Miami Heat. He has now been suspended indefinitely without pay for walking out of practice. But is it Butler’s fault or Heat executive Pat Riley’s?
Even if everything [Jimmy’s] doing right now is actually with good merit, he’s doing a bad job of caring about his public image. But he’s doing a good job of getting what he wants because they will have to trade him. There’s no way they’ll want to cling on to him with all this stuff going on,” Rikai says.
Elsewhere on this episode of The Fumble, the crew talk about Bronny James’ rough rookie start, special guest Etan Thomas on his NBA career, his book We Matter: Athletes And Activism, and more.
Watch the latest episode of The Fumble above.