Lieberman Crowns Clark WNBA’s GOAT Guard Amid Jealousy Storm..
In a bold declaration that’s sending shockwaves through the basketball world, WNBA Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman has anointed Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark as the greatest guard in league history. The 67-year-old legend, speaking exclusively to TMZ Sports on July 13, 2025, didn’t mince words, blasting what she sees as rampant jealousy from Clark’s peers that’s robbing the young star of her rightful acclaim.
“This is what Caitlin Clark is. Don’t hate her. If she happens to be the cash cow right now, embrace it, and don’t be petty. She’s the best guard in the league,” Lieberman proclaimed, her voice laced with the authority of a three-time All-American and former Olympian who helped pioneer women’s professional hoops.
The timing couldn’t be more poignant: Just days earlier, the WNBA All-Star player voting results dropped like a poorly timed crossover dribble, ranking Clark—a two-time Rookie of the Year and league assists leader—ninth among guards by her fellow players, despite fans catapulting her to the top spot.
Lieberman likened the snub to the NBA’s “Bad Boys” Pistons crafting special defenses for Michael Jordan or the PGA’s early resistance to Tiger Woods’ dominance. “Her numbers have proven it. Her game has proven it,” she insisted, urging guards to “celebrate each other” rather than tolerate resentment.
Clark, the 23-year-old phenom out of Iowa, exploded onto the WNBA scene in 2024, shattering rookie records with her laser-precise logo threes, no-look passes that border on sorcery, and a court vision that turns games into clinics. By mid-2025, she’s not just starting—she’s redefining the point guard position, averaging 18.7 points, a league-high 9.2 assists, and 5.1 rebounds through 20 games, even amid whispers of targeted physicality from opponents.
Yet, Lieberman’s fire isn’t just praise; it’s a scathing indictment of women’s basketball’s gatekeepers. “We should be supporting each other, not jealous of each other,” she said, name-dropping Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese as another trailblazer deserving props for her rebounding records, not rivalry.
Lieberman, who won the inaugural Nancy Lieberman Award (ironically named for herself) as college hoops’ top point guard in 1975, sees echoes of her own battles in Clark’s plight. Back then, she cracked the male-dominated USBL as the first woman to do so; today, she warns, the WNBA risks alienating its brightest light by failing to “recognize Clark’s transformative genius.”
The backlash has been swift. Social media erupted, with #EmbraceClark trending on X, where fans dissected the All-Star vote as proof of “haterade” from veterans wary of the spotlight shift. Critics like former NBA guard Jeff Teague drew Lieberman’s ire last month by dismissing Clark as “serviceable, not great,” prompting a viral clapback: “You weren’t a great player, you were serviceable.”
Lieberman, now coaching in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league, doubled down in an OutKick interview, comparing Clark’s draw to Woods’ multicultural boom in golf: “She brought a new audience… Now you get to see all the players because somebody was that magnet.
For Clark, the endorsement is rocket fuel. Fresh off a triple-double debut in the 2024 playoffs—making her the first rookie to notch one—she’s eyeing her second All-Star nod and a Fever playoff push against rivals like the Connecticut Sun. Lieberman implored: “She’ll get tougher, bigger, stronger… Stop nitpicking. Just go out there and ball!”
As attendance surges 30% league-wide and TV ratings hit NBA-adjacent highs, Lieberman’s clarion call spotlights a pivotal truth: In a sport long starved for stars, Clark isn’t just the best guard—she’s the blueprint. Will the WNBA listen, or let envy eclipse excellence? Time, as Lieberman notes, is Clark’s greatest ally. And it’s ticking toward legend status.
