Has Caitlin Clark Surpassed LeBron James as the Most Polarizing Athlete? Basketball Experts Opine After 22YO’s Olympics Snub

Has she? You know, transcended LeBron James on the polarizing scale. Well, for one, we have to agree that it is as subjective a topic as it can get. There are a lot who would nod their heads and others who would shake a big ‘no’ straightaway. But we can all agree the kind of attention Caitlin Clark is getting, the good and the bad, is insane! It wouldn’t be a stretch to admit not even Victor Wembanyama’s arrival at the NBA had this much hype.

Then again, Wemby was the next generational talent after Bron, Shaq, Magic, and many others. The Indiana Fever rookie, though, is popularly being categorized as the first Caitlin Clark, a pioneer in her own legacy. Aside from breaking several records and achieving milestones, she is single-handedly responsible for the increased popularity of the WNBA. Unfortunately, that just so happened to be the very reason for all the hate that’s coming her way now.

The sad part is that a lot of it is from her colleagues and veterans in the WNBA! And the latest in the Clark saga is the Olympics snub. The USA Basketball Chair, Jen Rizotti, by way of an explanation, said “It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her [Caitlin] in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team.” 

Naturally, it was the next topic of debate, and everyone had something to say about it.

However, Chris Broussard and Rob Parker decided to take a road less traveled. In their latest episode of The Odd Couple, Broussard picks Rob’s brain on whether he thinks Caitlin Clark might have outshined LeBron James on the polarizing aspect. He even gives a few other names of athletes who have often been at the short end of the stick – Stephen Curry, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady. Parker, though, had a quick, simple one-word answer: “No.” 

But why?

Rob Parker’s reasons for his firm belief in LeBron James over Caitlin Clark

Explaining further, Rob says, “Caitlin is definitely polarizing. There’s no doubt, but I don’t think she’s supplanted LeBron. Not yet. It’s just been too soon. LeBron has a history of this. And here we are, 20 years [later] … and there are still people who will go after LeBron or push back on some of the stuff he says or does.“

The former ESPN employee provided a recent example – the highly controversial Kyrie Irving take by the 4x champion. In all honesty, it wasn’t exactly controversial in the traditional sense. James heaping praises on Kai and wishing he was the Dallas star guard’s running mate seemed just too good to be true for everyone aware of the tension between the two.

We don’t even have to go into the whole Bronny James, JJ Redick, and the head coaching narratives! Enough was said, shared, and written about them for everyone to understand both sides of the coin. The hilarious part is that the Lakers are still without a head coach with their latest ‘penny-pinching’ stint involving Dan Hurley. But that’s a story for another day. Or article.

See how addictive anything and everything involving LeBron can be? Well, I guess Rob Parker does have a point when he said that Caitlin Clark has yet to surpass LeBron as the most polarizing athlete.

But before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese.

Don’t forget to check back in for more such updates from our ES Fancast!