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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The rookie stood up. Caitlin Clark pulled her team out of deep waters against Diana Taurasi’s Phoenix and brought a win home. The tight game that featured the rookie going against the consensus GOAT was a highly anticipated matchup and it delivered. While the veteran Mercury kept getting the best of the younger Fever in the 1st half, things changed in the 2nd half. Consequently, one of Clark’s fans and the WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo could not help but praise her.

The true point guard in Caitlin Clark came to the floor last night as she facilitated the entire second half, showing off her passing prowess. Later, Lobo applauded her in the ‘Rebecca Lobo’s WNBA action recap’ segment at SportsCenter. She said, “I certainly thought she had some moments in the first half that she would want to take back. But the third quarter was the tide that changed everything in the game. The Fever outscored Phoenix 29-15 in that third quarter. Caitlin Clark scored or assisted on 20 of the 29 points.”

She further added the specifics, “She really had her flow going. She did a great job of finding open teammates. In particular, Kelsey Mitchell really benefitted. She had 9 of her points in that third quarter. But that was the time that changed everything and Caitlin Clark really fueled it with her good decision making.”

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Tonight’s performance was definitely one to remember, as she missed becoming the only WNBA rookie to ever log a triple-double by one rebound. She capped her night with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists. But she helped her team pool up 28 of the 88 points through her deliveries alone. But this was not the first time that the Hall of Famer has publicly cheered for Caitlin Clark.

Rebecca Lobo and her admiration for Caitlin Clark

The ESPN’s caller has been openly advocating the viral Caitlin Clark effect. While she does give others their much-deserved flowers, she understands what the rookie brings to this league. Long before the season even started, she was the first one to press that Team USA should take the 3x Nancy Lieberman awardee to Paris. After the guard’s snub as well, she commented on the same.

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Moreover, just a few days back, she tweeted about the Des Moines native. She wrote, “Caitlin Clark is a force like we’ve never seen when it comes to driving ratings & ticket sales in the WNBA. “All other games” (any that don’t involve the Indiana Fever) are still +1,100 over 2023. A rising tide lifts all boats. And this kid is a tsunami.”

She also added a few numbers to back her claim. On average, any game that features Caitlin Clark has an attendance of 14,858 fans. Gainbridge Fieldhouse welcomes 16,757 fans to the arena in home games. All other games remain at the 7,723 average mark this season. Moreover, networks like ABS, ESPN, ION, NBATV, and CBS have broken their viewership records.

Not just Lobo, but many other veterans of the field have also supported the theory. Majorly, it is the rookie’s public presence and socializing capabilities that keep her in the top celebrated hoopers today. Moreover, her epic displays like in last night’s game which drew comparisons to the duo of Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner alongside Aliyah Boston only add to her on-court craze.

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Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.