NBA commentator David Aldridge just wants to have fun watching Caitlin Clark play basketball.
Aldridge, who previously worked for TNT, ESPN and NBA TV, spoke on OutKick’s “The Ricky Cobb Show” about Clark’s rookie season in the WNBA.
“(Clark) is such a great player. Can we just watch her play and enjoy it without all that other baggage?” Aldridge said.
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever reacts during the second half against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“Do we have to bring all that other stuff in there? I don’t really care why people love or hate Caitlin Clark. I just think she’s a great player, just like I think Angel Reese is a great player. Let’s just watch them play basketball.”
Aldridge compared the Indiana Fever rookie phenom to some NBA legends, comparing them as players who “make the difference.”
“It’s clear she’s making a difference, right?” he said. “People want to watch her, they want to watch her play. She’s a great player. And I think she’s definitely a person that draws the attention of casual fans; and that’s kind of the lifeblood of a league that really survives and thrives: When people who aren’t big basketball fans still tune in because they just want to watch her play, because they enjoy watching her play.”
FEVER’S CAITLIN CLARK FIGHTS THROUGH A SPRAINED ANKLE INJURY TO TAIL WNBA ROOKIE RECORD IN BEAT AGAINST DREAM
David Aldridge (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images/File)
“We’ve seen that in the NBA over the last four decades, where some people just make things happen,” he said. “Whether it’s Magic or Bird or Kobe Bryant, now Steph Curry and LeBron, people make things happen because people love to watch them and people hate to watch them.”
On Monday night, Clark set the WNBA rookie record for most 3-pointers made in a single season with 85, tying the record with Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream.
Clark averaged 18 points per game, nearly six rebounds per game and just over eight assists per game in 30 games. The former Iowa superstar was named a WNBA All-Star and is the favorite for Rookie of the Year.
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever passes the ball against the Washington Mystics at Capital One Arena on June 7, 2024 in Washington, DC (G Fiume/Getty Images)
“It’s fun to watch her stir people up, it’s fun to watch her attack the defense, it’s fun to watch her work with her teammates. She’s got some great teammates and they’re starting to understand each other and that’s why the Fever are starting to win,” Aldridge said. “I just wish we could just watch them play basketball, man.”
In 2016, Aldridge was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame. The award is given to outstanding basketball writers and commentators.
Aldridge is currently a senior columnist at The Athletic. He has covered the NBA and other sports for nearly 30 years for Turner, ESPN and the Washington Post.
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